To think people would want free apples?

[MsFannySqueers]

We have one apple tree in our garden. Some years we get barely any apples but this year we have had a large amount of apples. They are large organic cooking apples with not a blemish on them. They are very tasty when cooked. I have peeled, chopped and frozen about 50 of them so far. I will use them over the coming winter for pies,crumbles, muffins etc. I have given some to one neighbour who wanted them.
So to my AIBU. I then left a big pile of them in a container on my gatepost for days. Put a sign up for anyone to help themselves. How many have gone? Two! Two apples. I even left paper bags out to put them in! So!

YABU People can’t be bothered with all that faff, they are busy and haven’t got the time/additional ingredients to prepare and use apples even if they are free. Plus how can they afford to cook them!

YANBU It’s free apples, a bit of preparation, a few added basic ingredients and you could have some tasty treats. The cost of cooking them will be somewhat offset by the fact they were free.

Gosh I’d want them!

www.ricardocuisine.com/en/recipes/3655-apple-crisp

*

Apple crisp recipe - like apple crumble but made with oats. Really good. I don't put sugar on the apples, but i guess if you're using bramleys you may need it.

I have been making crumble twice a week for weeks off our trees!
Yanbu to be puzzled op!

I put it on the local fb group when I have a surplus. They all go, most people take a crumbles worth- 4 to 6. On ewoman took a whole buckets worth, that's a bloody big pie.

I think people are embarrassed to take something free. If you'd asked for money youd have probably sold them!

I disagree, it's quite normal to give and take in areas where people grow things. It's very difficult to grow enough apples for one family, so those with trees will give them away. WI members send me messages in advance of harvest to get first dibs on my bramleys 😄

I think sometimes people are just really polite about taking a lot!
In my village people often leave stuff they've grown in their garden out in this way. I passed a driveway with some beautiful marrows in a tray with a sign saying "please take" so I did take one and it was delicious. The next time I walked that way they were still there, but I felt I shouldn't take another one, I should leave them for other people!
You could try putting 4 or 5 in each bag? That way people might feel happier to take a bag, knowing how many it was reasonable to take?

Olio app is also great for giving away food

@ZeroFuchsGiven

Perhaps we are in the same village 😳

I wouldn't have taken any!! Now free chocolate might be another matter :)

(It's kind of you though OP! I'm just not a fan of apples!!)

Our neighbour did the same this year and I was surprised they didn't disappear immediately - we took a few on the first day they were there, then a few more a couple days later when we saw supply was greater than demand 😋

That's probably why people feel embarrassed . Why were you watching what people were taking, and why does it matter to you?

I seen someone advertising cooking apples on my Facebook I wonder if you are the same person. I would have loved some but unfortunately the person was just too far for me to walk to 🍏 🥧

The people who leave fruit out near us live on country roads with nowhere to stop

I've just stopped car to fill a hat (only receptacle I had!) with apples that someone had put out. Not even my village but its a massive box and been there for a few days so I figure they won't mind.

I wouldn’t take the apples but I’d take like apple muffins or apple pie if you put it out 🤣

Have you got Olio app in your area? As a pp has said it's a good way to give away food. I've noticed that fruit is usually requested quite quickly.

I also have loads of apples from our tree, so wouldn't take yours. Maybe other people in your area are also inundated with apples!

Half the houses in my road have little apple stalls outside and signs saying please take some. We can’t get rid of them.

Are you near Hertfordshire? 😂

I would be delighted to take any free fruit. Unfortunately I live in London, so many people (including me) don’t have gardens so there aren’t that many fruit trees around (although I did harvest quite a lot of crab apples from a tree in the street nearby).

tbf I find this a lot, I am rural and there are loads of houses with eggs or fried/veg outside but they seem to be in places where you cant just stop and pull over lol

There's a house near me who has rhubarb outside at times, it never lasts long.

We have an agreement with a neighbour he can have the apples off our tree, he Just helps himself.

now rhubarb this year seems to be non existant, I was chatting the other day about this with someone. I wonder if its just my area and due to weather conditions over summer. I'm in Lincolnshire

Blimey I wish you lived near me.

No-one ever does that round here.

Although ds2 recently brought me home a bunch of carnations that someone was giving away. So there's that.

I put our plums out with a note saying any cash donations in return for the fruit go to Great Ormond Street. We get piles of coins through the letterbox, and the plums all go. Maybe try saying ‘pay what you can’ and naming a charity, and see if that helps?