In my youth, I grew up running around my Santa Barbara neighborhood on the weekends and in the evenings, picking fresh kumquats, pomegranates, blackberries, and sourgrass from yards and along roads. Back then, I didn’t eat a lot; I was too busy. Those foraged treats fueled my adventures in the wild.
It may seem idyllic to picture a world in which you can walk down any street and pluck fresh fruit from flourishing trees and bushes. But that’s a goal of the artists involved with Fallen Fruit, an organization that creates edible gardens and maps of edible trees growing on or over public property, as well as photographic portraits, documentary videos, and art installations.
David Allen Burns and Austin Young partnered with Nevada Museum of Art leaders to curate an edible garden outside the Reno building. They believe community gardens are important because fresh fruit (and other produce) should be available to everyone. I couldn’t agree more. Besides the museum project, a few other community gardens exist in our midst. We profile some of them in this issue.
My wife and I live in a small house on a little lot, but over 21 years we planted apple, peach, cherry, and plum trees, as well as raspberry bushes and grapevines there. And we’ve filled halved wine barrels with herbs, tomatoes, and more. Inside, we have a small kumquat tree and an aero garden with lettuce and herbs that sprout year-round.
We all should be growing our own food. It’s possible even with limited means and little space. You can have a planter or two on the stoop or an herb or tomato garden in a kitchen window. For free assistance, consult a master gardener. In the 1940s, federal government officials encouraged residents to grow food. Victory gardens supplied ample produce to people in a tough time. See our feature on the initiative.
These are just a few stories in this issue; our spring edition contains so much more. We hope you enjoy them all.
Happy spring!
