Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The Jasper Local Food Society helped locals turn their excess fruit into cider during the second annual Apple Fest at the community garden on Oct. 2.
Apple Fest is a bear-smart initiative designed to encourage residents to pick their apples from their fruit trees.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just here as an opportunity today for people who still have their apples to come down and make something useful out of them,鈥� said Ashley Kennedy, board member for the Jasper Local Food Society.
Over the past two months, bears have been entering the townsite to feed on fruit trees, which have been showing above-average production this year.
Parks Canada has been encouraging residents to either remove their fruit trees or pick the fruit as soon as possible.
This year, the Jasper Local Food Society pressed six buckets of apples into cider, putting a potential bear attractant to good use.
鈥淭his is the first year that we鈥檝e had our own press, whereas last year, in collaboration with Parks and Palisades, we rented a press,鈥� said ryAn eSch (correct capitalization), who also sits on the society鈥檚 board.
鈥淣ow we鈥檙e looking at new ways to use the press to help the community, whether they will rent it out for an afternoon to press their own apples, or the last stage of the fall, we鈥檒l be hosting another Apple Fest next year.鈥�
Kennedy described using the apple cider press as 鈥渟atisfying manual labour.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly only about the last five turns that are hard,鈥� eSch added.
鈥淥therwise, you鈥檙e mostly chatting and turning.鈥�
The cider itself is sweet and can be used to make apple cider, apple cider vinegar or drink it straight up as juice, while the pulp makes for good compost.
鈥淣ext year, we鈥檙e hoping that participation can kind of increase and more people can bring their apples down to make into cider,鈥� Kennedy said.
鈥淭he sooner that we can get all the apples in town picked, the better, because that prevents the bears from coming into town, and it mitigates the work that Parks Canada has to do to chase the bears out.鈥�
Anyone who still has fruit in their trees can contact the Jasper Local Food Society about using their press by calling 343-363-3964 or visiting
