Village Harvest

The Bay Area, particularly the Santa Clara Valley, has a long tradition of planting fruit trees. In fact, in the late 19th century, SC (AKA the Silicon Valley) was known as The Valley of the Heart's Delight, because rather than sprawl and technology, the valley was absolutely covered in fruit trees (hence Blossom Valley down by Almaden). Tour companies would arrange tours to visit the orchards when they blossomed in springtime.

Anyway, the legacy of that is there are tons and tons of fruit trees in people's yards, and in vacant lots, and in abandoned (but still producing) orchards - and lots of it goes to waste. Ripe fruit, just sitting in people's yards. A group called Village Harvest (http://www.villageharvest.org) started about five years ago to have volunteers harvest that fruit (with the homeowner's permission, of course), and then donate it to local food banks.

Well, what about the over-ripe or perishable fruit? According to their website:

VH LOCAL FRUIT PRESERVES
Every year we have an abundance of tree ripened fruit that is too ripe or perishable to make it through distribution at our local food banks. Our volunteers make this fruit into delicious preserves that reflect the height of the season, and their sale helps fund our harvesting expenses.

During this holiday season, please consider purchasing some - or a lot - as gifts (or for yourself) that help us carry out our work. All of our fruit is tree ripened, Santa Clara Valley grown, and often organically grown. Current flavors are below, all priced at only $5 per 7 oz. jar unless noted:

Blenheim Apricot Jam
Santa Rosa Plum
Wild Plum
Baby Crawford Peach
Flavor King Pluot & Raspberry Jam
Black Mission Fig Jam
English Rose Jelly
Meyer Lemon Marmalade
Blood Orange Marmalade
Apricot White Balsamic Vinegar ($6 bottle)
Black Mission Fig Vinegar ($6 bottle)

Email sales@villageharvest.org to place an order or with questions, or see our descriptions and order form on our website http://www.villageharvest.org/preserves.htm

Sounds like a good holiday gift giving idea! Oh, and learned that the pomegranate vinegar won't be made this year, but the pomegranate jelly will, and it will apparently be available the week of December 17. Yum!

(cross-posted from my LJ)