Did you notice the article Free food can be yours for the picking in the July 23 edition of the Illinois Times? Here's an excerpt:
"Urban fruit foraging" is a grassroots phenomenon that has arisen spontaneously as local folks have taken a look around their neighborhoods and suddenly noticed that yard after yard contains all sorts of trees bearing a cornucopia of apples, plums, pears, oranges, peaches, loquats, pecans, avocados, lemons, mulberries, pomegranates ... and so much more. The "aha" moment comes when these folks realize that most of this abundance goes unpicked.
So, rather than just let it rot, why not find new ways to gather, distribute and share this free food with the larger community? From coast to coast, people are doing exactly that, with each group finding their own clever ways to spread the concept of "public fruit."
One of the simplest is in Oakland, Calif., where neighbors created a small exchange they call Forage Oakland. Some 200 people have signed up — those with lemon trees, for example, open their yards for harvest when the fruit ripens; in exchange, they get access to other yards when their fruits come in.
So, rather than just let it rot, why not find new ways to gather, distribute and share this free food with the larger community? From coast to coast, people are doing exactly that, with each group finding their own clever ways to spread the concept of "public fruit."
One of the simplest is in Oakland, Calif., where neighbors created a small exchange they call Forage Oakland. Some 200 people have signed up — those with lemon trees, for example, open their yards for harvest when the fruit ripens; in exchange, they get access to other yards when their fruits come in.
We don't have any fruit trees on our property yet, but it sounds like a great idea! The best part, in my mind, is the effect of reinforcing a sense of community, since people will actually (*gasp*) talk to people!
(Oh, and in case you're wondering: loquat. No, I'd never heard of it before, either!)
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