And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the stranger. – God.

Our suburbs are a gleaners paradise, the overhanging branches and diverse pickings are tribute to our bountiful subtropical climate and multicultural heritage.But the decades of nativist plantings, and the overly-cautious policies that keep food producing trees off of our nature strips lest somebody slip on a macadamia, or be offended by fallen fruit, has dampened the cities potential as a veritable food forest.

Join us for a tour of the edible streets of West End on Sunday the 6th of May to celebrate International Permculture Day, Jane's Walk and the URBNE Festival. The edible streets tour offers an introduction to foods, fungi, weeds and other functional plants that inhabit our urban environment. Along the way we discuss the ethical considerations of harvesting, share maps, surplus and ideas to contribute to our edible landscapes. The walk starts from the cnr. of Boundary and Vulture Streets, West End at 10am.

The lovely Kat from Forgreenies produced a short video from one of the previous edible streets tours. Be sure to check out the other great videos on her website, including this instruction piece on how to make a fruit harvester.

Most of the fruit we can buy in the city has traveled long distances, sometimes it even comes from overseas. This wastes huge amounts of energy, and alienates us from our food and farmers. If you own property why not consider planting fruit trees and other edible and functional landscapes along the perimeter. It is a great way to provide for your community and share with your neighbours.You can also petition your council to plant and support foodscapes and community gardens, or just start doing it yourselves.