NOVEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
Mobile juicer initiative inspires community outreach
by TOM WALKER
CRESTON – Creston’s recent “Press Fest” was a good example of how the planned purchase of a mobile juice press can support and grow community agriculture. “It certainly gave us more profile for our anticipated purchase,” says Fields Forward co-ordinator Paris Marshall Smith. “We have been doing most of our outreach with the local orchardists (by) getting letters of intent with those who will want to use the service. This was a good demonstration for them of what the machine can do. It was also good to connect with the schools who we expect will be involved with us as well.”
On October 4, all seven Creston and district area schools were represented when 200 children and adult volunteers worked through the day to press, juice and vacuum-pack 13,000 pounds of local apples.
“In return, each school received 75 five-litre boxes of juice. The schools were able to use the juice either as a fundraiser or in their meal programs, which several of the schools have,” says Marshall Smith.
“All of the apples were donated by three commercial orchards in the community,” says Marshall Smith. “One
orchard with cold storage delivers 40 pounds of apples weekly to one of the local schools as part of their breakfast program. But they are usually done by January. By donating to the juice program, which would in turn be donated to the lunch program, they could extend that donation through the year.”
Fields Forward (FF) is the first project to be funded by the Creston and District Community Funds initiative. The initiative is charged with allocating $600,000 entrusted to them by the Columbia Basin Trust for investment in locally-driven community change. Three community priorities were identified: child and youth wellbeing, community finance, and agriculture and food systems. FF received just over $250,000 to fund the first three years. Marshall Smith is the full time co-ordinator.
“We are trying to build the notion of how do we take responsibility as a community for the work to feed ourselves,” says Marshall Smith. “If that is a worthy goal, then how do we do that together?”
Over 80 producers,
organizations, businesses and local governments from Yahk to Riondel have collaborated in FF to establish a food venture collaborative.
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Apples waiting for the juicer. (Photo courtesy of Fields Forward)
“This area has so much potential,” Marshall Smith adds. “We have a climate similar to the Okanagan, amazing soil and a diversity of production that allows for that vision to feed ourselves.” The collaborative identified the purchase of a mobile fruit and vegetable press as their first priority.
“Part of the reason we are doing this is that the orchardists came to us,” explains Marshall Smith. “They had experience with the mobile press last year and they want the service in the valley.”
Juice is a shelf-stable value- added product that provides good marketing opportunities and it is seen as a way to contribute to rebuilding old orchards in the area.
“A lot of our communities have a history and remnants of an orchard industry,” says Marshall Smith. “There is an opportunity to reinvigorate those orchards, replant and create more industry.” Okanagan Mobile Juicing from Vernon was back for its second visit this fall but it makes sense for locals to have their own plant rather than
bringing one in for a short term, Marshall Smith says. “The benefit of having it locally is that the juicer will be able to respond to orchardists as the apples are coming off the tree, or as the cherries are ripe.”
“We are also working with cherry producers to access culls from the packing line that currently go to the landfill,” says Marshall Smith. “One small packing house we are working with produces 6,000 pounds of culls a day so
See JUICER page 28
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