Lately I’ve noticed lots of fruits, especially citrus just ripening on the tree. And was wondering how anyone could actually eat or pick them all.
Sometimes I think I wouldn’t mind asking for permission to pick some of the fruits. But I just can’t help feel like I’m intruding on someone’s life. Maybe even being seen as strange for not wanting to just buy the fruits instead. As it seem people believe only good fruits come from the supermarket.
Back in January, residents of Echo Park (in LA) were lucky enough to get free fruit trees. A great idea to have residents growing their own food and maybe sharing them too. Photo source.
California law states it’s OK to pick any fruits hanging over the fence. The people in LA even have a website dedicated to foraging for these urban fruits. Even then, I still think it would be nice to ask. It would seem too rude to just show up at someone’s front yard and start plucking their over hanging fruits.
If our neighbors talked more instead of just passing by each other everyday, then maybe they can arrange to have people share and barter the fruits.
In the meantime I’ve discovered Neighbor Fruits, and online community where people can share and trade fruits. If you like, you can also buy and sell the fruits too. They are only available in some states, mostly California and Florida.
Neighborhood Fruit is here to help you find and share fruit locally: both backyard bounty and abundance on public lands. Currently, there are over 10,000 registered trees nationwide and more get added everyday!
Cities resplendent with edibles are better places to live, and sharing with neighbors is a great way to get there. Join us in creating a future where the food we eat is truly fresh, seasonal and local!
They also have locations of public trees where you can pick free fruits. There’s even an apple tree loaded with fruits right in Golden Gate Park.
If I have time tomorrow, I like to pick some fresh Meyer lemons. As one member wrote:
“BYOB-bring your own bag and feel free to pick as much as you’d like. The tree is in our front yard next to the carport.”
8:36 pm on February 28th, 2010
When I was little living in Brooklyn, we used to go to an old lady’s house to pick the apple, it was next to my little sister’s school and she didn’t seem to mind. But as I got older, it seems wrong to go when she was not home.
I would never thought that people won’t mind you picking their fruits, especially if you don’t know them, I guess there are many generous people out there. I guess I would ask first before start picking.
5:22 pm on March 2nd, 2010
As long as the owners say it’s OK and free to pick, I think it should be acceptable.
Our neighbor has a lemon bush loaded with fruit in their front yard. But they only want you to pick a few at a time. I use a lot of lemon on a weekly basis, so a few lemons just won’t cut it! So I may need to start learning about ” how to grow a potted” lemon tree soon.