BY ELLA ROWLAND
Food Share Program Coordinator
This week, as plums and cherries ripen on the trees, the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust is kicking off its long-awaited 2025 harvest season, and calling out for volunteers.
The Harvest Program is part of the broader Food Share Program, which aims to increase food security on Salt Spring, acting as a connection point between delicious, island-grown food and the people who need it.
After a wildly successful first year in 2024, program co-leads Nick Adamson-Jones and Indra Singh couldn’t be more proud of the impact the Food Share has had so far. With the help of amazing volunteers, they were able to save over 15,000 pounds of apples from going to waste, redistributing them to the community — and that’s just apples!
As Singh leads me through The Root at 189 Beddis Rd. to the empty storage facility that will soon be filled top-to-bottom with salvaged Salt Spring produce, she reflects on the inaugural year of the program.
“It was so wonderful last year to see the sheer variety of produce shared with us, and to work with such a lovely group of volunteers,” she said.
Harvested foods were distributed island-wide to organizations like the Food Bank, Gabriel’s Kitchen, IWAV and the Women’s Institute “Pie Ladies.” During one joyful community event, apples were even pressed into juice using an antique apple press. This trusty piece of history has since been retired to make way for a brand-new commercial apple press, allowing the team to greatly scale up production.
This year’s Food Share coordinator, Ella Rowland, is organizing and guiding backyard harvests across the island. In addition to coordinating harvests, she is also launching a cost-recovery initiative featuring our signature “Eternal Apple Juice” — a custom blend pressed from apples harvested throughout the island. The Food Share team is excited to announce a weekly booth, where community members can sip our delicious cosmic apple juice elixirs, pick up fresh two-litre jugs of apple juice, learn more about our gleaning efforts and connect with local food initiatives. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Food Share program. If you have an event that could benefit from a cider booth, the Food Share team is eager to collaborate, and let the juice speak for itself.
“We had a few information booths last year that were a huge draw to the program,” laughs Singh, “mainly because the juice samples were really, really good.”
For those unfamiliar with how the Food Share works, the program structure is simple: local treeholders with excess or hard-to-access fruit can register their tree with the Farmland Trust, and a group of dedicated volunteers will come by to harvest it. The bounty is then shared equally between the land owner, volunteers and community organizations. This act of collecting leftover or excess crops, called “gleaning,” reduces food waste, encourages food sharing, and strengthens involvement in local food systems. The Salt Spring Island Food Share is only one of over 200 gleaning programs across North America that are actively working toward these goals.
Volunteers are essential to the program’s success, and 2024 was proof of just how much can be accomplished with community involvement. The team is now putting out a call for volunteers to join in the 2025 harvests. There’s no minimum commitment, and volunteers like Richard — a fixture of the 2024 program — say the experience is both fun and rewarding.
“Being a part of the Food Share is a win-win-win for me,” he said. “I get to make a tangible difference in the lives of others while enjoying the camaraderie of like minded-individuals, fresh, local fruit and the beautiful gardens and orchards we have here on Salt Spring.”
If that sounds appealing to you, sign up to volunteer on the Farmland Trust website by navigating to the Food Share page and clicking “Volunteer Registration Form.”
The Root will also continue to host its monthly Food Exchange — a beloved tradition where islanders gather to share homegrown produce and homemade dishes. These exchanges take place on the third Sunday of every month, from 3 to 5 p.m., and always begin with a short moment of gratitude for everyone’s contributions. All are welcome.
As the 2025 season kicks off, the Food Share team invites everyone to take part. Let’s let local food take root!