An Abundance of Apples
May 2010

It's an apple a day for children at Awapuni Kindergarten after harvesting their crop as participants in Massey University's Rent-a-Tree programme.

Teachers Kim McCarthy and Chris Hudson travelled to the Massey orchard on a Thursday afternoon to ward off hungry birds and begin harvesting their healthy apple crop. Three parents, two children and a teenage daughter joined teachers on Saturday 24 April to help pick the rest.

The Rent-a-Tree scheme has been operating for nine years and, although fruit numbers vary between seasons, yields are typically upwards of 50kgs. Awapuni are now selling apples to families for $1.00 per bag of approximately 25 apples to raise funds for a developing ICT area and help cover the cost of the tree.

Throughout the process children have been learning about healthy eating as well as where food comes from. There are plans to use the apples for baking and children are currently enjoying the apples are part of their morning tea.

Above: Picking apples at the Massey Orchards