Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard

Enjoy the harvest season in Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard! On September 22, 2011 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., orchard founders Growing for Green will hold their second annual Harvest Festival. Enjoy free fruit and snacks, orchard tours and educational booths, children's activities, live music, and our Loonie Raffle where you will have the chance to win thousands of dollars worth of prizes donated by our fantastic local businesses.

Growing for Green is a voluntary eco-gardening group based in Toronto’s Ward 21. Our Harvest Festival partners this year are: Parks, Forestry and Recreation; Not Far From The Tree; The Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative; and Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF). The festival was made possible by the generous assistance of Walmart-Evergreen and Live Green Toronto.

Interested in a sneak preview of the prizes you can win in our Loonie Raffle? Here's a rundown:

FOOD AND DRINK

Thirsty Fox Pub www.thirstyfoxpub.ca, gift certificate ($50 value)

Mamma's Pizza www.mammaspizza.com, gift certificate ($25 value)

Loving Hut www.lovinghut.ca, gift certificate ($20 value)

Focaccia www.focacciarestaurant.com, gift certificate ($100 value)

FITNESS AND WELLNESS

Classical Martial Arts Centre www.cmac1.ca, six-week memberships ($327 value)

Neighbourhood Wellness Clinic www.cmac1.ca, 15-minute back massages ($22.50 value)

Victory of Light Yoga www.cmac1.ca, 90-minute Thai massage ($135 value), one-month yoga membership ($120 value), 90-minute private yoga session including wellness consultation and guided relaxation ($90 value)

Qi Natural Food, yoga mat gift certificate ($30 value)

HOUSE AND HOME

Kates & Co. www.katesco.com, gift certificate (up to $300 value)

Flour Studio www.flourstudio.com, flower arrangement ($150 value)

Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts www.bonniegordoncollege.com, workshop ($TBA value)

ART AND GIFTS

Petroff Gallery www.petroffgallery.com, gift certificates ($50 value)

The Paper Boutique www.thepaperboutique.ca, gift basket ($TBA value)

HarperCollins Canada, "Get Growing" autographed by Frank Ferragine ($27 value)

BEAUTY

Upper Village Spa www.uppervillagespa.com, shellac manicures ($50 value)

Cute Kid’s Cuts www.cutekidscuts.com, haircut gift certificates ($30 value)

Segal, accessory ($TBA value)

For updates and more information, please keep an eye on our website at www.communityorchard.ca.

 

Did you know the blossoms on black locust trees are edible and taste like vanilla? Or that fruit from the staghorn sumac makes fantastic tasting mock lemonade? The 115 participants in this year's incredibly successful Edible Tree Tour learned these tidbits and much more during the collaborative event.

LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) organized the tour with the help of partners Growing for Green (founders of Ben Nobleman Orchard), fruit picking project Not Far From The Tree, and Forbes Wild Foods.

We tasted our way through the urban forest, nibbling on tart berries from the mountain ash and tried preserved white spruce tips brought by Forbes Wild Foods. The tour began and ended in Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard. Visitors included journalists from Global Television and a writer from The Grid.  Read one report here: http://www.thegridto.com/life/food-drink/seeing-the-forage-for-the-trees/

Coming up next, our Orchard will hold the second annual Harvest Festival on September 22, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Save the date and keep your eyes on our website for more information!