Early in 2013 two young men set out to develop an open-source urban harvesting map where people could find, add and edit information on wild edibles growing in their community. The website FallingFruit.org was born. According to their website: “Falling Fruit is a celebration of the overlooked culinary bounty of our city streets. By quantifying this resource on a map, we hope to facilitate intimate connections between people, food, and the natural organisms growing in our neighborhoods. Not just a free lunch! Foraging in the 21st century is an opportunity for urban exploration, to fight the scourge of stained sidewalks, and to reconnect with the botanical origins of food.”
The topic of the September meeting of the Greater Newburyport Edible Garden group will be urban edibles. We will share information about wild edibles in our area, discuss the ethics of urban foraging and consider if and how we might gather more information to add to this on-line database. The meeting will be held at the Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank, 63 State Street, Newburyport in the downstairs community room. Enter via the staircase to the left of the main entrance.
The Edible Garden Group was formed by community members who are interested in getting together to learn and share information about sustainable food growing – veggies, fruits, nuts. The meetings are focused on building community resilience through increasing the availability of safe, nutritious, sustainably-grown local food. For more information contact Deb Carey atboiester@gmail.com or 978-388-5629.
Transition Newburyport 