Let's get harvesting, let's get cooking!

The seventh annual Tooting Foodival is nearly here. It's time to get harvesting!

Foodival exists to celebrate the wealth of produce you can grow in an urban environment like Tooting. Since June, people have been adding to the map to show all the wonderful fruit, veg, herbs and salads growing in the area. The variety is astounding - from the familiar - tomatoes, potatoes, beans, strawberries - to the more unusual - cola plants, green guages, loganberries and celeriac.

Bring your food on Saturday for Foodival!

Whether you have one tomato, a handful of salad leaves, or a veritable feast of fruit and veg, it's time to get harvesting for Foodival. The restaurants are eager to get creative and cook up a feast so everyone can celebrate on Sunday. 

Drop off your produce at two spots between 1pm and 5pm. Put yourself on the map that will be displayed on Sunday. and have some fun or a bite to eat while you deliver your goods. It's a win win!

• BATCA Fun Day, Broadwater Road - drop off  your fruit and veg at the Foodival stall. Then enjoy the fun - stalls food and entertainment. Visit the Kingston Farm Animals, get a henna tattoo, try some local or international food, learn about growing your own food, laugh at the clown show, get your blood pressure checked or chill out with ice cream. 
• Foodcycle Wandsworth, Mushkil Aasaan, 220-222 Upper Tooting Road - give some locally grown food for Foodival and enjoy a free meal cooked by local volunteers from food that supermarkets would otherwise throw away!

Sunday is Festival Day!

We're hopeful that Foodival day at Samaj Hall on Sunday will be a lot of fun and that you'll meet a lot of people. It's the day we celebrate the incredible talents of people in Tooting and together show what's possible in the city. Fingers crossed it'll be a record breaker so every apple, potato and tomato counts!

Do you want to cook for Foodival?

If growing isn't your thing but you love to cook, get in touch with Mal to enter the Top Tooting Cook competition. There are some great prizes to be won. The aim is to cook something tasty with low food miles. We can even supply you with some ingredients. 

Just pop into Mushkil Aasaan on Saturday between 4pm and 5pm, then come to Foodival on Sunday with your dish. Good luck!

We'll see you all at Foodival!

Lessons learnt in damson picking

by Richard Couldrey

A week ago, my two sons Dominic and Benji and I went damson picking at a wonderful house on Longley Road in Tooting (thank you!). We went on behalf of the Foodival. I thought it was brilliant, Dominic thought it was a bit boring. The best bit was collecting the damsons!

There were four trees, all moderately sized, but covered in fruits. We set a tarp down on the ground and those brave enough went under. Then, to the sounds of Peter Gabriel's "Shaking the Tree"... we shook! Damson rain fell, thudded and surprised those underneath. The great thing was only the ripe damsons fell off, leaving plenty more for collection another day.

HOWEVER... on return home, all kinds of kids activities beckoned and the three carrier bags of damsons were put in the coolest cupboard I could find (fridge full, stinking hot day) for processing the next day.

The next day came, and I completely forgot about the damsons... meaning that they started breaking down in the bags, the ones at the bottom squashed by those on top. I've ended up with 2 large tupperwares - about 1/3 of the original haul, through a combination of ignorance and forgetfulness.

So, if you're going fruit picking, here's the lessons learnt:

• When picking, take a tarp and shake that tree!
• Only pick the firm fallers, anything soft will break down quickly and rot the other fruits
• Carry the damsons in small quantities. Don't load too many on top of each other as they get squashed and, you guessed it, start to break down
• Be prepared to immediately process them at home, which involves giving them a good wash (I used the bath) and freezing them with the pips in, or de-pip and freeze to be more space efficient.

Alternatively - go ahead and make your pies!

If you have an abundance of fruit, you can of course donate some to Foodival by dropping off produce on Saturday 13th September during the BATCA Fun Day or at Mushkil Aasaan between pm and 5pm.  Then come back on Sunday 14th September to Samaj Hall from midday to sample some of what's been made, while the wonderful fanSHEN Theatre entertain you with a great performance of The Apple Cart (more on that next week!)

Or check out Abundance Wimbledon, who help to pick fruit and deliver it to people and organisations who can use it.  Their site has some great recipes and they're having a Fruit Day the week after Foodival!