Thank you for your great support. Thanks to you this idea has grown from a box of apples to a thriving collective, weekly Market and many side projects. We would like to let you know about the latest news, events and projects that you can access in the following ways:
The Fresh Fruit, Veg & Art Share Market
12noon Mondays, Tasmanian College of the Arts, Launceston. This is a free community event and all are welcome. We are happy to accept donations of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are a few restrictions on cooked and processed foods which are detailed below.
*Special End of Winter Market*
25th August UTAS open day 10am- 2pm. We will hold the usual Monday Market on the Sunday instead of Monday. The first Great Seed & Seedling give way is on this day. We need your help to start growing these seedlings.
The Seed Bank is Open
This is a large box of vegetable seed where you can make free deposits and withdrawals. The focus is home grown and collected seeds. The bank has labels, small plastic bags and pens. A good resource for the great seedling give away.
The Great Seed & Seedling Giveaway
This first will be on the 25th August End of Winter Market for UTAS open day. Lets encourage people to plant and grow their own food. So start planting in toilet rolls and egg cartons, we need everyone growing for this event (raid the seed bank).
Backyard Fruit & Veg Photo Project
I am looking for the backyards of fruit and vegie growers You garden does not have to be fancy or perfect, I prefer if its not, I just want to meet you, know your story and take a few pics, cheers Bridgette
Public Fruit Preserves
Our jams, chutneys, relish and pastes were very popular this year and we hope to bring these back soon. We are looking for a commercial kitchen to prepare these in for next season. We hope then we can hold ‘Jamming sessions’ with great music and friends from the collective.
Conferences, fairs, festivals & events
We are always interested in attending these events. The next one is the National Students for Sustainability conference July 5-9th which happens to be in Tasmania. If you are keen to help with this event then let us know.
Now for the exciting stuff!
You may be aware we have become famous on the radio and in the newspaper
Due to this publicity and growth we have had meetings with both Launceston City Council and Tasmanian College of the Arts. These were not due to reports to the Council about food hygiene or anyone breaking legislation. The concerns were about trading, duty of care and the legality of foraging.
Trade or sharing, what is the difference?
We are a share market that accepts donations and allows people to take what they want. In the collective and at the Market there is NO sale, direct trade, barter or exchange between individuals. If we were to do these, then we would have requirements from council regulations.
Duty of Care in handling Fresh, Cooked & Processed Food
Although we have been told we have no requirements regarding council regulations, we still have a duty of care to the public. Basically this means a few limitations:
- We can accept fruit, vegetables and freshly baked goods
- We can not accept any hazardous foods such as meat, fish, seafood, diary, small goods, eggs etc
- We also can not accept preserved, bottled or cooked foods which are prepared in a kitchen which has not had prior approval of the council
We would recommend the following free health and safety training to all members of the collective, its only takes 30 minutes and please email us a copy
http://www.imalert.com.au/foodsafety/training/welcome.php?sub=launceston
Public Fruit map and Foraging
We have recently put the public fruit map back online after receiving the following statement from the Launceston City Council:
‘The Launceston City Council encourages sustainability practices within the Northern Tasmanian community and has no objection to members of the public taking fruit or other produce from street trees or trees within the Council’s public reserves. However, the taking of fruit or other produce should only be done in locations where it is safe to do so, using methods which are also safe. Fruit and other produce should not be collected from roads or from trees by climbing or using ladders. The Council does not spray these trees with insecticides or pesticides, so care should be taken to ensure any fruit or produce collected is free from insects’.
Please check with your local council if you have concerns.
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