Fallen Fruit Public Jam
Growing and cooking food is a fundamental, creative human experience, which is why, I think, there are so many examples of art and food intersecting. Just this morning I discovered Fallen Fruit—an activist art project that started by mapping fruit trees on public land in Los Angeles.
They have hosted nocturnal fruit forages, created art to hang in public fruit trees, hung posters in bus shelters advocating guerrilla fruit tree planting, and made maps of public fruit in several LA neighborhoods and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This coming Saturday the group is teaming up with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for a Public Jam. This event twists the notion of a music jam—instead of instruments, participants are asked to bring homegrown or public fruit and jars for a communal jam making session.
This project makes me feel so hopeful because it represents further evidence that reclaiming control of our food helps connect people and create better communities.
Fallen Fruit’s stated goal is “to get people thinking about the life and vitality of our neighborhoods and to consider how we can change the dynamic of our cities and common values.”
Making jam with strangers sounds like the perfect start. I wish I could be there.
Just a note…I had my dates wrong. The Public Jam was on November 1.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:50 pmThis should be an interesting experiment. I know how much of a mess I make when I’m jammin’. I can’t imagine doing it en masse. Hope someone submits photos for you to share with us!
November 6th, 2008 at 9:11 amHm, interesting and cool concept. Although I would want to know whether the fruit included windfalls or not, and if any potential germs would be guaranteed to be cooked away in the preserving process!
November 6th, 2008 at 10:33 amI love this idea. We had a discussion about fruit-gleaning at a food systems group I belong to and a Health Department employee who was at the meeting said that there are some issues about fruit on the ground, especially if it’s going to be given to a food bank, which was the case if you’re gleaning. In making jam, you should get it up to 221 degrees for the syrup to be sufficiently concentrated so that should kill any germs.
November 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pmYou know, I hadn’t thought about contamination from fruit on the ground, but that is a good point. I think that a majority of the fruit they advocate using is from public trees, not necessarily windfall. But something to keep in mind, definitely! I really think this idea is cool and it put a little idea in my head about trying to do something similar here in Seattle next summer!
November 8th, 2008 at 9:19 pm