Here’s what we’ve done in 2018!
… thanks to you and your support! It’s a lot in just one year. Your donations, your volunteer efforts, have all helped. You’ve been talking about us, spreading our news, and “liking” our social media. Thanks! Word of mouth is our best advertising. As the word spreads, more people will become aware of the benefits of planting trees, especially fruit trees, and will start to take action! We get by with a little help from our friends!
Agricultural Fair, St. Croix, USVI, September 2018
As TTFF spreads our branches … er … wings … we’ve now sent 3,000 donated breadfruit trees to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. We owe a huge vote of thanks to Ken Banks and Nate Olive, for getting this to happen. And thanks to an anonymous donor too. They worked together and took care of all the permits, inspections, shipping, clearing, transportation and re-potting, all the details for a successful transfer.
Ken Banks, now the newest member of the board of Trees That Feed Foundation, led a number of events. He participated in their agricultural fair, and distributed over 900 of these trees to individuals, in one day! The rest are allocated to various farms on the island, as coordinated by Nate.
Some of the 3,000 tiny breadfruit saplings shipped to St. Croix
Then there was a “slow dinner” at which various breadfruit dishes were served. Some of the new recipes included tortillas, chaya fritters, breadfruit dumplings in grouper broth … and last but not least … breadfruit vodka, by Chef Todd Manley. There are a few photos, below. The potential for breadfruit, fresh or transformed into some kind of delicacy, is bright in St. Croix.
Breadfruit tortilla with green mango and papaya slaw
The people that made it happen! L to R, W Louis Hilgeman, Ken Banks, Sommer Sibily, Forest Stewarship Coordinator, US VI, Nate Olive, and Chef Andy Thaldorf, proudly wearing his TTFF apron!
Before we forget, Ken also transported various components of the TTFF “Factory in a Box.” The shredder and grinding mill will allow fresh breadfruit to be processed into a nutritious, gluten-free flour with a long shelf life.
Hybrid solar dryer engineering drawing
Thanks to Northwestern University’s Engineering School, Dr. Stacy Benjamin, and Allison O’Donnell, we now have detailed engineering drawings completed! These are available to anyone who want to consider construction of their own solar dryer. Remember, it’s suitable for dehydrating breadfruit or really any other fruit, to preserve them for later consumption. The dryer can also rely on a small propane heater, for those cloudy days when solar heat along isn’t sufficient.
We have drawings plus extensive detailed spec sheets. Click here for a preview. Contact us for more information.
Steve Sanders, popular host of WGN TV’s Midday News, invited Mary to talk about Trees That Feed Foundation. The idea is to spread the word about TTFF’s work, and also encourage support for all organizations doing this kind of work, namely planting fruit trees, creating jobs and benefiting the environment.
This segment aired live today, August 27, 2018. In five minutes Mary hit all the high points that viewers might be interested in–planting trees, helping entrepreneurs, feeding schoolchildren, and more. WGN has a large viewership so this feature will really help to get the word out. Follow this link to hear the entire segment. Thanks go to Steve and the highly efficient staff at WGN TV.
Trees That Feed co-founder Mike McLaughlin is a
In this design air flows in through three solar collectors painted black and covered in plastic. The air warms over the hot collectors and flows into the cabinet. Shelves inside hold the fresh fruit, sliced or shredded for quicker dehydration. A solar fan on the roof pulls the moist air up and away. A full load of fresh fruit can be dried in 4 to 6 hours!
Learn more: click here to watch a 30 second video explaining more details.
Hybrid Solar Dryer, Schematic
This schematic sketch is being converted into high quality engineering drawings by Northwestern University’s Engineering School. And remember we have a complete detailed descriptive paper on the design and testing. Click here to learn more.
Ma
ry McLaughlin was interviewed recently by Jerome McDonnell on “World View” on his Global Activism segment on National Public Radio. Mary talked about Trees That Feed activities and accomplishments. She sounded like a pro! Click here to go to WBEZ’s Worldview page, to listen to the full interview!
Ken is Manager of Marine Resources Programs for the Broward County Florida Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division. He has vast knowledge about coral reefs, manatee conservation and marine ecosystems. He’s also passionate about growing plants and trees. His backyard in Southeast Florida is a horticultural collection! And he’s been a charter boat captain, an engineer, and a marine geologist. He is also a passionate volunteer for Trees That Feed Foundation and he brings his storehouse of knowledge to our benefit. He’s energetic, helped us deliver breadfruit trees to the Bahamas and US Virgin Islands, and located key research for us. For the last three years he’s hosted our booth at the Fairchild Gardens Mango Festival. He’s quite the hero.
Branching! Get it? We’re excited to report that Trees That Feed Foundation now has excellent partners in Africa, folks we know and trust and can work with effectively and efficiently. So we’re extending our reach. Last week, working with our suppliers in Germany, we shipped 750 breadfruit trees by air to Nairobi, Kenya. They were successfully cleared through customs and quarantine, and are being held now in a shade house. There they will strengthen and grow for a few weeks, and later be moved out to farms. They are destined for suitable locations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and perhaps points beyond.
The photo shows young breadfruit seedlings that have been replanted into grow bags, where they will sit for a few weeks.
This photo shows local ladies in Kenya, delighted to be receiving tree saplings.
Joe Mataro and his team from Grace Project worked hard to get this accomplished, from import permits to replanting in the right size grow bags. Thanks, Joe, for all the hard work involved!
There’s a lot to read about! 
Follow this link to learn more about our recent activities, including building the market chain for fruit. We are helping to propagate and plant trees, care for them including pruning, reaping and selling the fruit, and producing retail post-harvest products! You’ll also read about our coloring books, recipes, and financial results.
Thanks go out to so many of you who have provided the support that makes our work possible.
Thanks also go to Greg Eckel, who created this very professional document for us.
