Have you noticed more people picking apples and blackberries?

[autyspauty]

And is this a good thing?

I pick loads of both and freeze, process or store as much as I can for the coming year. This means I am at the bushes and trees basically every day or every other day.
I have noticed this year loads of people coming with boxes or bags.

For blackberries you always see someone but not many people go for the apples. I've seen loads of people with bags and boxes, and not just the old couple I always see or people with children, people are coming on their own and staying for ages. it's quite nice.

But aibu to think this is most likely because of the increased price of food and, well, everything?
It seems like the value of these free fruits has gone up with the cost of everything else.

What do you grow, Polly?

I wouldn’t call 80x100 foot ‘massive’. It’s roughly allotment sized, which are sized like that specifically to feed whole family. I can mostly keep us in veg from mine if I’m on top of it, and I grow all kinds of middle class stuff like asparagus and blueberries, not just swede, cabbage and potatoes.

I also can’t see why anyone bothers with blackberries and haven’t noticed anyone picking them (apart from a badger I almost fell over a few weeks ago) However, I am doing lots of apple picking to freeze for the winter. We don’t have much spare cash, so it all helps this year. My mum has a huge Bramley tree, and I’ve frozen enough cooked apple for about 30 pies, and you’d never even know we’d picked any - there’s thousands.

Plenty of entitled twats trespassing to strip bushes round here. Given that they've driven out here in their brand new, shiny 4x4s that've never even seen mud, wearing barbour jackets and Joules wellies, I don't think they're struggling to pay their bills...

Growing your own food in your back garden isn't the same as foraging though is it?

We have always collected fruit and always seen lots of others doing it. There's a kind of wild woodland near us that isn't private land. You can get damsons, apples plums, elderflowers/ elderberries, blackberries and sloes. We pick them all and make crumbles and pies. Nothing to do with the cost of living - we have always done it. The fruit is really tasty and free so why would we not? So long as we leave enough for nature.

From.the people I see, it's more usually the affluent people that go picking.

'Foraging' much like banana bread making during lockdown is the realms of the middle class feeling that they are tightening their belts......

How can you strip blackberries? Whenever I've gone, they are always at different stages of ripeness. I usually pick enough for two or three crumbles.

there are miles of it here and despite me taking as much as I can and everyone else there are still loads and loads that have all mostly dried up now anyway. I don't think you can take them all because you can only reach the front and you don't want the ones lower down where dogs can wee.
Apples and blackberries are those fruits that are just so abundant I don't think you really have to worry about the wildlife as you could take 20 black bags and it would still be 10% of the crop.

Don't worry different hedges, never take more than 10% of what's there (not for want of trying)

Nonsense.

Yep seeing people pick brambles more and also seeing houses in our area leaving fruit out for neighbours which has been nice to see

Where I live we have a glut of fruit so I'm taking advantage of it. I'm sure it's the same everywhere. Why wouldn't you? Far cheaper to make pies and crumbles.

like honestly what do you think the shops do?
are they saving some for the wildlife? How do you think food gets there?
is it better for me to take what I can from my local area or have it shipped in from across the world? What does more damage?

packaging, transportation, soil erosion, monoculture, pesticides. None of that is coming from my actions.

I've recently took note of a load of raspberry canes. it's too late now but it's clocked for next year.
I'm going to try elderberry too this year. Millions of them around.
it's nice to have a sensible person on mumsnet. Howdy!

oh thats terrible!
certainly not me. we have backgardens, front gardens and a community or hard for ours.
Could never eat them all without preserving or freezing and sharing of course.

Money troubles was the main reason I started freezing and storing. It's just so fun I carried on when times were easier. Every penny counts and all that.

Freezers still full, don't worry for me.

Good idea. I'll stick a box of apples out from my grandads garden. he must have 10 fruit trees. We never take enough home he says

Not if its a hedge in your own field. What I object to is folk you don't even know helping themselves without asking first which is common courtesy on someone's land, then when being caught out taking all the Sloes from my hedging next to a public lane, telling me they're not ready for picking yet despite.....sauntering off with a basket containing several pounds of Sloes, leaving none for the wildlife.

I've frozen blackberries and made two batches of jam as I do most years nothing to do with austerity. Pots of which have been given to family and friends, who in turn have given damsons, plums, pears and cherries - all made into jam, chutney or added to gin. Next will be Sloe Gin - courtesy now of a farmer friend as all mine have been stolen!

There is nothing worse than fruit left rotting on the trees in excess of what the wildlife require.

courtesy now of a farmer friend as all mine have been stolen!

It isn’t actually theft as long as they were growing wild and have been picked for personal consumption.

I wouldn’t call 80x100 foot ‘massive’. It’s roughly allotment sized,

A typical allotment is 10 poles/rods/perches = 250 sq Metres. 8000 sq feet is 740 sq metres, or over 3 typical allotments. That's a lot of land for produce and could easily feed a family in veg.

If it is a hedge on my land that I maintain, yes I consider it theft particularly as we grow our own hedging from seed such as hawthorn and blackthorn.