One question we get asked a lot is – Can you actually grow fruit on the Canadian prairies?
Nathan attended cider school just outside of Seattle in Washington State, USA. At a social event we attending during cider school, the other cidermakers asked us if apples even grew in Canada. The stereotypes of the prairies are cold, snowy, barren lands that only grow grains.
But it’s not just Americans that have misconceptions about the prairie climate. Many Albertans know about the Okanagan but when we are out picking fruit, local people often ask us – What is that? Is that edible? They are surprised that we can grow fruit here like pears, cherries, plums and even apples.
Really great fruit grows here on the prairies, especially for cidermaking.
Hardy Fruit on the Prairies Infographic
What fruit can you harvest each season in Edmonton?
We have created an infographic (scroll to the bottom of this post!) with some examples of the abundance of fruit that grows here. Because our climate is unique, we’ve included the approximate harvest season when it’s ready to be picked!
For some more details on when to pick your fruit, check out our blog post on how to tell if your apples are ripe.
Fruit into Funds
This infographic also shows the wide variety of fruits that we accept as donations.
We spend much of the summer and fall harvesting fruit in the river valley and in public parks. To fully tackle the issue of fruit waste in our city, we are asking homeowners who have excess fruit in their yards to consider donating. Those who donate become members of our Backyard Harvest Club.
We will begin to accept donations starting on August 15 and will have more details in the coming weeks. You can sign up to our Fresh from the Press emails to be kept in the loop!
In return, we are turning that fruit into funding for our community. Each of our ciders is paired with a local non-profit who will receive a portion of the profits through our Community Cider Charity Program.
Please Share This!
We would love it if you shared with others about our Backyard Harvest and Community Cider Charity Program, as well as this infographic.
Embed This Infographic
Please feel free to embed this infographic on your blog with proper credit using the code below:
<p><strong>Please include attribution to PrairieNorthCider.com with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href=’http://prairienorthcider.com/prairie-fruit-infographic/’><img src=’http://prairienorthcider.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/FruitSeasonalityDonations-01-471×1024.png’ alt=’Hardy Fruit on the Prairies’ 540px border=’0′ /></a></p>
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