With the arrival of Spring and the abundance of free produce we at Public Harvest are busy! We try to focus our energies on three main areas: 1) Tree Planting, 2) Food Collection, and 3) Raw Refinement. Learn How. Although there is overlap in each all of these activities, categorizing them helps us to stay organized and it allows you to be involved more directly with the things you are interested in. Find out more below, and see how you can get involved.
Tree Planting
We promote planting trees for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, trees are good for our ecological health. They store and convert carbon dioxide (a leading greenhouse gas) into breathable oxygen. They provide habitat for a wide number of animals, mitigate soil erosion, and create necessary shade. Relative to many other plants, trees require very little maintenance making them viable municipal investments. In addition to all of these benefits, there are a great number of trees that do even more--they provide readily edible food! We at Public Harvest think that if more food-producing trees were planted throughout our local communities they would provide a low-cost, nutritious food source easily available to the general public. So much return for so little cost! Lastly, we feel that sinking a shovel into the ground, getting your hands dirty, and helping something to grow is good for your entire wellbeing. Give it a try and maybe you'll agree.
Food Collecting
Fortunately, we don't have to wait for all of our recently planted trees to mature in order to start harvesting. A great number of already-producing trees exist throughout the Eugene/Springfield area. We encourage you to check out our interactive map to find one near you, and take the time to add any new trees (or other food-producing plants) that you discover along the way. We encourage everyone to take advantage of nature's bounty, but please use common courtesy and respect when doing so. Read our Guiding Values before you go out picking.
Raw Refinement
Although most any of the food we harvest is readily edible, sometimes it is desirable to process, refine, or preserve it for other uses. This includes, but is by no means limited to, the following: Turning fruit into jam, preserves, or wine; drying or canning harvest for extended shelf-life; roasting and/or grinding nuts for diversified uses; collecting seeds for future plantings. The possibilities are endless and because there is little to no cost, publicly harvested food makes for great gifts--so be sure to share your creations! Learn How