April Showers Bring May Flowers ... and Fruit Tree Maps! Howdy Fruit Lovers! "So just how many fruit bearing trees are there in cities? Is there enough fruit?" We get asked this question all the time by people who think we are "fruity" to be doing this. Well, now here is an answer for San Francisco: we have mapped more than 5,000 potentially fruit bearing trees on public land. Just imagine how many more are lurking in people's back yards! To make the map, we have collaborated with the Urban Forest Mapping Project. They collect tree data to calculate the environmental benefits provided by trees: the tons of carbon dioxide sequestered, the pounds of air pollutants trapped, the gallons of storm water filtered, and the amount of energy conserved by creating shade. This information is a powerful open-source tool for environmentalists, policy makers and energy companies working to make cities greener and more livable and address climate change. You can contribute to this project by registering either a public tree or your own tree. Who knew that your little lemon tree could have a impact and be part of the solution? Now that you can use Neighborhood Fruit to find fruit, what else do you need to have a delectably healthy lifestyle? Veggies and eggs, perhaps? We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Greenhearts Family Farms. Greenhearts Family Farms is a small-scale organic farm located in Prunedale, California. They have beautiful produce and sublime chicken eggs. The owners of Greenhearts Family Farms represent a sustainable future for American agriculture: young people returning to the land to treat it with respect and cultivate better food. This spring they have launched a CSA box for San Francisco residents, which you can get by contacting them directly. And let them know we sent you! Guess what?! You can now register your own tree! We are working extra hard to complete the Sharing Your Bounty functionality, so stay tuned. And tell your friends and neighbors about Neighborhood Fruit: let us know if you are interested in helping us get the word out in your community. Fruitfully yours, Kaytea and Oriana Come check us out!

Eeek! It's the Apricot Appropriator!! Every month, Neighborhood Fruit offers you a fruit label. To help spread the word about Neighborhood Fruit, print this label and demarcate the fruit you are already sharing with others. You can also download the computer desktop background version. We are actively seeking artists for future fruit labels. If you are interested in submitting, please contact us for design requirements. Download the label now!

Sunflowers for Everyone! This month’s gardening advice is brought to you by Craig Batty, who is organically gardening in Lafayette and where the deer and wild turkey create havoc if you give them a chance. Sun Flowers are easy and fun to grow. They’re also super kid-friendly because they grow fast and the large seeds are easy for small fingers to handle. Make sure you plant a good eating variety for healthy year-round snacks. Planting Plant in full sun, where they will not shade other plants, alternatively, plant shade-lovers around them. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep and about 6 inches apart. When the seedlings come up, thin them to about 18 inches apart. For a head start purchase established seedlings from a trusted nursery. Water well after planting and keep fairly moist, but not soggy, until the seeds sprout. Sunflower seedlings will come up in one or two weeks, growing slowly at first and quickly thereafter. Be sure to water, weed and add mulch around the plants. Watch out for finches and other birds; when they start going after the seed heads, cover the heads with cheesecloth to protect the seeds. The seed heads will be ready to harvest when their backs are brown and dry and no traces of green remain. Cut off the sunflower heads with a foot or two of stalk. Hang them upside down in a dry and airy place. When the seeds are dried, rub them off with your hand and store them in an airtight container. Don't wash them, as this could cause them to mold. Roasting To roast sunflower seeds, place a single layer of raw dehulled kernels in a shallow pan. Roast in a 300 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are brown and crisp. Stir occasionally. Remove from the oven. One teaspoon of melted margarine may be added if preferred for each cup of seeds; stir to evenly coat. Place the seeds on absorbent paper. Salt to taste. Store in a tightly covered container. Salted-in-the-Shell For salted in-the-shell seeds, cover unhulled seeds with salted water in the amount of 2 quarts of water to 1/4-1/2 cup salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Drain and dry on absorbent paper. Seeds may also be soaked overnight instead of boiled. Then proceed as for the roasted kernels above. Notes from the Yard Forum

Rhubarb...it goes with anything! Once again, we bring you a timely and seasonal recipe to help you "maximize your efficiency" of enjoying seasonal produce! Rhubarb Pie Ingredients 4 C. diced rhubarb stalks 1 1/4 C. turbinado sugar 6 T. flour 3 T. softened butter Lemon zest of 1/2 a lemon Pie crust, enough for the bottom and top of a pie. Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Cream butter and sugar. Add the flour and lemon zest. When smooth, mix the diced rhubarb with it. Fill the pie crust, and top with the second piece of pie crust. Seal and make a few steam holes in the center of the pie. Put pie on the bottom oven rack and bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (175 degrees C) and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes before serving. Notes from the Kitchen Forum

Find Fruity Fun From the academic, to the practical and delicious, the Neighborhood Fruit events forum is the place to go to find all the fruit-lovin' events. If you would like to contribute, please contact us. Featured May Events Michael Pollen at Long Now, May 5 Water Saving Irrigation Techniques at UC Santa Cruz, May 16 Drinkfest Benefiting Friends of the Urban Forest at Elixer, May 27 Market Tapas Class at CUESA, May 27 Enjoy, we hope to run into you soon! Check out the May Events

Help us with a survey! If you haven't filled out a survey yet, we would love for you to take the time to do it now. Neighborhood Fruit name, branding and identity emerged from your feedback in the first round of surveys. We are committed to using your feedback to develop other features of Neighborhood Fruit. Take survey now

Thanks for reading! If you would like to let us know what you think of The Grapevine, contact us. We love hearing from you. To reward you for reading this far, we'll send you a Neighborhood Fruit sticker if you email us your address!