Anyone interested in learning more about the food that grows on local trees can join in on a citrus harvest from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday on the University of Arizona campus, hosted by LEAF on the UA Campus. The UA branch of LEAF, which stands for Linking Edible Arizona Forests, involves an effort to collect and use the citrus, olives, and other edibles that grow on campus trees.
Funded by the UA Green Fund, LEAF is already making a splash. Last November, LEAF members, UA students, and Tucson residents worked together to collect nearly 400 pounds of olives from some of the campus trees that line Park Avenue.
Its momentum only continues to pick up, with the March 8 harvest in near sight and another citrus harvest, planned for April 5, on the horizon. As Tanya Quist, director of the UA Campus Arboretum, emphasized, the UA has a “responsibility to capture and make use of the edible products obtained from the landscape,” and LEAF aims to do exactly that.
This Saturday’s harvest, led by UA student Ty Trainer, will focus specifically on collecting calamondin limes: small, tart fruits with a sweet, edible skin that are the result of a cross between mandarin oranges and kumquats. Those who attend will learn proper harvesting methods, along with many simple, calamondin-centered recipes for putting their harvests to use.
The idea is to teach people “how to turn sour into sweet,” mentioned Trainer, who is an intern both with LEAF and the Iskashitaa Refugee Network.
A large portion of the fruit harvested on Saturday will be brought to local refugees, thanks to LEAF’s partnership with the Iskashitaa Refugee Network, an organization that works with refugees from around the world to help them integrate into their new Tucson community. Iskashitaa Director Barbara Eiswerth has been contributing to LEAF’s success by sharing her knowledge from a decade’s worth of experience with the group, and refugees affiliated with Iskashitaa are expected to participate in the April 5 campus harvesting event.
Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. Those interested should arrive on campus at Palm Road and Second Street around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday to sign in and get situated. The intersection is just east of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, which neighbors the Harvill building.
For more information, contact infoarboretum@ag.arizona.edu
Related Links
LEAF on the UA Campus, /student-projects/leaf-linkingedible-arizona
LEAF Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/UALEAF
Iskashitaa Refugee Network, http://www.iskashitaa.org/
Campus Harvesting Programs:
Olive Harvest
With the abundance of historic olive trees on campus, we felt that this was a natural place to begin our campus harvest effort. Students and volunteers can be a part of University of Arizona history by harvesting olive trees in the fall.
Citrus Harvest 2014 AND 2015
During the Spring semester, the LEAF network focuses on harvesting the colorful and mouth-puckering citrus from over 250 trees located right on campus with the help of collaborators and volunteers. The team has been successful harvesting through spring and into summer when they have used the produce to make and sell calamondin-pomegranate jam. To learn how to make this delicious, local treat watch the video!
Pomegranate Harvest
Pomegranates are great additions to the landscape for their ornamental and edible uses. Many people are not aware that the UA campus has beautiful pomegranate trees that can be harvested!
Recipes:
UA LEAF Interns worked to adapt recipes for both olive oil and citrus fruits. You can make these recipes with Bear Down Olive Oil or citrus that you harvest!
Recipes will be posted soon.
Partners:
LEAF is financially supported by the UA Green Fund. The UA Green Fund creates opportunities for students and employees to test innovative solutions to challenges in renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, waste reductions, and environmental sustainability, education, research, and outreach. Collaborators include the Campus Arboretum, Dining Services, and Facilities Management. LEAF on the UA Campus has partnered with Iskashitaa Refugee Network, who beginning in Fall 2015 will take the leadership responsibility for campus harvests with administrative support through the UA School of Natural Resources.
Media Coverage:
Tucson Weekly - UA Food Savers
Fields of Hope - How Refugees To America Are Building A Life In The Farms Of America
Helping Make Tucson A Better Place
Memo From President Ann Weaver Hart - 2015
Edible Baja- UA Olives Become Oil for All