Since we are working on developing a program to offer well-suited fruit trees to the public, I thought it might be helpful to write about the benefits of urban fruit. Of course we all know that the fruit we grow in our personal orchards and backyards, (i.e. urban fruit) is certainly tasty since we have the advantage of allowing it to ripen on the tree, but what about the health benefits of home grown fruit? Are there any?
It turns out that according to a recent analysis done by Wellesley College in Massachusetts, urban fruit is very nutritious—more so than the commercial fruit samples they tested. The study came about as a partnership between the College and LUrC. LUrC is a volunteer group that finds fruit trees from old home sites that are not being harvested and harvests the fruit for distribution to those in need. They also work with homeowners to harvest trees that the homeowner may not be harvesting. The group wanted to be sure that the fruit from the trees contained no harmful elements. The College went one further and studied not just the lead and arsenic levels in the fruit.
In addition to lead and arsenic, the College looked into the nutritional value of urban fruit. They compared micronutrient levels with those in commercially grown fruits and found that calcium concentrations in urban apples and peaches were more than 2.5 times those in their commercial counterparts in the sample. Concentrations of calcium and iron were higher in urban fruits for every fruit type tested, and manganese, zinc, magnesium, and potassium concentrations were higher in certain urban fruit types. On average, urban fruit contained a wider range of micronutrients than the commercial counterparts in the study.
"When they grow in a commercial setting the soils can become quite impoverished," Wellesley professor Dan Brabander explained. "In the urban setting where the trees sampled tend to be older perhaps they are able to shuttle micronutrients from a wider and more diverse range of horizons.” Planned future soil coring work into urban soils will try to figure out the mechanism of nutrient transfer in this unique setting.
So as we prepare to go forward with learning and teaching more about home fruit production, here is one study that concluded that these home grown products can be more nutritious than we can get elsewhere if the trees are properly tended. I would like to think that there are some additional health benefits to home fruit besides the obvious one of the physical exercise from fertilizing, pruning, watering, harvesting and fighting off the squirrels!
It turns out that according to a recent analysis done by Wellesley College in Massachusetts, urban fruit is very nutritious—more so than the commercial fruit samples they tested. The study came about as a partnership between the College and LUrC. LUrC is a volunteer group that finds fruit trees from old home sites that are not being harvested and harvests the fruit for distribution to those in need. They also work with homeowners to harvest trees that the homeowner may not be harvesting. The group wanted to be sure that the fruit from the trees contained no harmful elements. The College went one further and studied not just the lead and arsenic levels in the fruit.
In addition to lead and arsenic, the College looked into the nutritional value of urban fruit. They compared micronutrient levels with those in commercially grown fruits and found that calcium concentrations in urban apples and peaches were more than 2.5 times those in their commercial counterparts in the sample. Concentrations of calcium and iron were higher in urban fruits for every fruit type tested, and manganese, zinc, magnesium, and potassium concentrations were higher in certain urban fruit types. On average, urban fruit contained a wider range of micronutrients than the commercial counterparts in the study.
"When they grow in a commercial setting the soils can become quite impoverished," Wellesley professor Dan Brabander explained. "In the urban setting where the trees sampled tend to be older perhaps they are able to shuttle micronutrients from a wider and more diverse range of horizons.” Planned future soil coring work into urban soils will try to figure out the mechanism of nutrient transfer in this unique setting.
So as we prepare to go forward with learning and teaching more about home fruit production, here is one study that concluded that these home grown products can be more nutritious than we can get elsewhere if the trees are properly tended. I would like to think that there are some additional health benefits to home fruit besides the obvious one of the physical exercise from fertilizing, pruning, watering, harvesting and fighting off the squirrels!