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Canberra Today 15°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Council maps free food for the picking

QUEANBEYAN-Palerang Regional Council is developing an interactive map to highlight fruit trees and other edible plants in public spaces in its region.

Called the “Overlooked Bounty”, it is a collaborative mapping project aimed at helping foragers to track down and harvest free food.

Residents are invited to contribute to the resource via yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au

“This is a fantastic resource and as the community get involved and contribute to the map, it will help connect the people of the region with the growing abundance around us,” says Jacqui Richards, general manager Community Choice.

“At the moment, the map has a few locations in Queanbeyan and we’d love for the whole local government area to be included.”

The Queanbeyan-Palerang landscape features a variety of edible plants in public spaces, including plums, figs and loquats. With contribution from the community, Council hopes to steadily build a map to link people with the edible food in its neighbourhoods. The map will provide the location, the best time of year for harvesting and suggested uses.

The map has been developed by Community Development Officer Lauren Andersen who says: “Food foraging is now more mainstream as people seek connection with food sources. Resources like this map help people to embrace local food; fostering a healthier, self-reliant and sustainable community.

“Eating locally can be beneficial to both the environment and your health and it’s an effective way for people to engage and participate in their community.”

Anyone who knows of any fruit trees or edible plants in public spaces can contribute to the map at http://yourvoice.qprc.nsw.gov.au.

The current map can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2gFXzoq

 

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