Kimberley, BC – It’s a banner year for apples in Kimberley! Thanks to a wet spring and hot summer temperatures, fruit trees are now laden with a ripening crop. To address fruit attractants for wildlife and capture valuable food resources, Wildsight Kimberley Cranbrook is hosting two community Apple Pick & Press events this fall, the first of which is taking place this coming weekend, September 16th & 17th.
These events are offerings of Wildsight’s Apple Capture Project, an initiative to support community members in harvesting and utilizing their backyard tree fruits. Wildsight offers a Tree Share Board service in Kimberley, Cranbrook, Golden and the Elk Valley where citizens looking for fruit can connect with fruit tree owners unable to keep up with the harvest. Since August, new trees have been added to Kimberley’s listing on an almost daily basis: Apple Pick & Press events will take place over two weekends in September and October to address this growing list of ripening trees. Wildsight’s Apple Capture Equipment, also provided as a free service to the community, will be used to harvest the fruit, and to mill and press gleaned apples into delicious, nutritious juice.
Wildsight is now seeking community members interested in volunteering for Saturday pickings (Sept 16 & Oct 21), and Sunday apple juice pressings (Sept 17 & Oct 22). A portion of apples and juice will be donated to families in need through the Kimberley Helping Hands Foodbank, with the remainder going home to individual volunteers and families. These are family friendly events, and are sure to be entertaining and rewarding for volunteers of all ages.
Wildsight’s Apple Capture resources are at your disposal to support a more connected, food secure, and wildlife-mindful community. Follow the link to wildsight.ca/apples for more.