Retrieve equipment and bring it to the pick site#

On the day of the harvest, your first step will be to retrieve the necessary equipment at an equipment storage site. You should have already indicated on Saskatoon from which site you plan to borrow equipment and ensured that no other pick-leaders are already planning to borrow the same equipment at the same time.

Please consult Annex B for a list of our equipment storage sites for this season. In addition, there are specific guidelines for retrieving equipment at each of the sites. These instructions can also be found in Annex B. Since it contains private information, this annex is not available to the public. It can be found in Saskatoon.

You may print a copy of the checklist below to use for each harvest, in order to verify that you have all the equipment you need.

Equipment to bring to a harvest#

  • Les Fruits Défendus Bike

  • Les Fruits Défendus Trailer

  • Foldable Ladder

  • Operations Binder: with waivers, flyers, bike path map, etc.

  • Wooden Crate or Cloth bags for fruit transport

  • Case containing:

    • Pens

    • Bike Hitch (if not using Fruits Défendus’ bike)

    • Scissors (for harvesting Saskatoon berries and grapes)

    • Scale (2)

    • Tools: socket wrench (8, 9, 10mm), hose clamps, flat head screwdriver [tools used to attach the hitch to your bike]

  • Gloves, Plastic Bags and Wipes for cleanup

  • First Aid Kit

  • Fruit picking tools, depending on fruit

  • Fixed-length red poles with cloth basket

  • Extendable-length silver poles with cloth basket fruit baskets on poles (wooden handles)

  • Plastic fruit-picking buckets with strings (to hang around picker’s neck to keep hands free)

  • “Les Fruits Défendus” folding sidewalk sign

  • Bags and containers with handles for collecting, weighing and transporting fruit

Optional items to bring:

  • Bike repair kit

  • Lock and lights for the bike

See Annex 1 for instructions on how to attach the bike hitch to your own bike (not necessary if you take one of Santropol Roulant’s bikes, as they already have the hitch attached). Information on safe biking practices can also be found in Annex 1.

Once all this equipment is safely secured in the bike trailer (if you’re using it), and you’ve successfully attached the trailer to your bike, you’re ready to take off to the pick site.

A few things to keep in mind before leaving#

Plan your route in advance, and allow yourself extra time to arrive; you never know what could happen along the way.

Plan to arrive at the pick site 15-20 minutes in advance, such that you’re the first to arrive and you’ll have enough time to speak to the tree owner(s) and prepare the area for the pick. As the supervisor of the pick, it is very important that you arrive before the volunteer pickers.

Finally, be prepared for any potential weather conditions; bring sunscreen, rain jacket, etc.

Tips on biking with a bike trailer#

Before trying to pull the trailer, make sure the pin is fully inserted and that the hitch is securely attached to your bike frame (see Annex 1 for visual reference).

Be more cautious than usual when biking with the trailer. Be aware of the size of the trailer you’re pulling, you’ll take up much more space than a bike alone! Also take into consideration how much time it will take you to stop with this behind you.

Expect that pulling the trailer will significantly increase (probably double) the duration of your trip to and from the pick site.