The Great Crabapple Heist/Harvest

Last night on our walk, Azura and I spotted a crab apple tree hanging over a fence into an alley. The branches laid heavily with beautiful red apples shining in the evening sun like jewels. On closer inspection I see they have begun to fall, and most on the tree are bruised and damaged. I find a good one and taste.... heaven! They are perfectly ripe, so I snag a few to eat on the walk home, just eating around the small bruises.

Well this morning we went back to the alley with a small basket. I barely pick enough for a small batch of jelly, when a lady comes out in her robe and asks sarcastically, "do you plan on taking ALL MY apples?" I apologized and said that I didn't think they were wanted because they have begun to fall and some had become overripe. She said, "well they are all damaged from hail, or I would have used them, but I guess you can keep what you've picked". I apologized again and left.....

What do you want to bet all those apples will go to waste?....when someone like me would cherish the harvest!

I didn't think I was in the midst of committing a robbery, but I guess I should have asked. I am not sure it would have changed the outcome however.

So many apple/crab apple trees are wasted each year in Calgary...very saddening!

Interesting question. I had to go look it up.

Looks like you are allowed to trim any branches that grow onto your property up to the property line, however, fruit on a branch belongs to the owner of the tree. Once the fruit has fallen, they belong to the land owner. In this case, where it hangs over public property, I would say the fallen fruit belongs to whoever picks it up.

I've been scooping my crabapples up off the ground and giving them to the chickens and goats. I can't begin to use a fraction of what the trees produce. I invite people I know to come and get what they can use, and there are still loads left.
I think that woman should keep the snide remarks to herself and be happy to know that someone will appreciate that little basket of apples and put them to use.

As an after-thought, I suppose asking first might have been appreciated, and if she said no I'm guessing there are lots of other apple tree owners who are not such crabs!....

That lady was a crab LOL...wasted food really irk's me - but to each his own I suppose! We have a program here in Nelson (West Kootenay's) called "Harvest Rescue" [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Maybe think about forming a local group in your neck of the woods...just an idea

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My neighbours and I have picked our large crabapple again this year and then she gets it down to juice and freezes it and then we give pails of the juice to anyone who wants it.

We also have two wery large apple trees that I dehyrate aplles for us' feed some to our birds and eat them very good eating apples.

If anyone from our area wants apples or pears our trees are loaded and I will give them away free to all takers. The fruit has no insects(we spray) so all is very useable. Drop me line if this interests anyone as we have way more than we can use.

Heather

Ya, I know I should have asked.... and I normally do before picking apples (do it every fall), however since it was a weekday morning and I didn't have to step off the gravel road of the alley to reach them, I really just didn't think anyone would care.... my bad!

I have put up an ad on kijiji for picking free apples, and I will take a walk by a house I picked last year...lol
(I stopped at a yard with a HUGE crabapple tree in the back, and thought I would knock on the door and ask if I could pick. Well I am assuming they rented, because they guys says,"we have a crabapple tree?" haha Needless to say he didn't mind.)

Lesson learned I guess.....

Wow, perhaps a little off topic, but Rennagaide, what an event to cross the country with barely nary a food supply, let alone water. You must have been pretty young and just didn't realize things, smiling. I am so happy to hear that that fellow gave you that $20 bill, in the days gone by, that probably equated to a fair amount of money in these days' dollars. That was a very nice and sweet story, loved it.

My youngest Daughter has a tree on her property. Well it is actually two trees in one. Bears two different kinds of flowers in the spring and two different kinds of fruit in the fall. It is in full tilt right now, but I honestly don't know what it is. I think it may be a crabapple, but if memory serves from last year, I think the fruit is about the size of a quarter. Is that what the fruit size is of a crabapple. Maybe I will attempt to get a picture of the tree and fruit to identify it.

Viczoe, I have been on the look for apples, I know the season is marching on, but I wonder if you still have some that you would be willing to let go. I could come to your house, pick, I do not expect you to lift a finger, I will do all that. and I will take only the windfalls if you so choose, no mind to me, it is for making apple juice. What variety are they. Hmmm....think I might just email you, might be better. Besides, when the time is right, I still would like to take a gander at your place, it sounds simply marvelous!!

I remember last fall I was on the Enderby-Grindrod road and I saw the most beautiful apple tree, FULL of big and wonderful apples. It was on the side of the road, but there was a driveway about 10 feet nearby, leading way up the hill to a house. I took a pail and picked some of the apples that were in the ditch. I don't think that anyone picks those apples, because there were hundreds and hundreds in the grass. By the time I had noticed it, the season had long been gone I guess and those freaky paper wasps were having the time of their life with the fruit. Didn't get stung nor bitten by them, but I was surprised. I was going to go and speak to that person that may be the owner of that tree, that is alongside the roadside, and ask if I traded some farm fresh eggs for the windfalls, if that would be OK. Still think I might. I think they may have been Gavenstein, they were so pretty and big..... Beautiful days, CynthiaM.

Viczoe, I would LOVE some crabapples! I want to make jelly but no crab apple trees in my area! This would be wonderful!

Renegaidde, across Canada at 16!?! I (as a mom) would have been having a hairy kaniption!(check spelling of kaniption, could be wrong)I would have stapled as GPS to your underwear! Can you imagine sending a 16 year old hitchiking across Canada now? Oh lord, I have to go take some anti-anxiety medication. Or...take two crababpples and call me in the morning.

There is an organization in Calgary that was started in 2009 where residents of the city who don't want there fruit from apple,crab,plum trees and raspberries and strawberries are asked to register with this organization and then a group of people from this organization show up and pick the tree bare and divide the fruit and if I understand correctly they also give a portion back to the owner of the tree and also a portion goes to the food bank or some type of helping organization. If you google it you can find out how to become part of this group who are willing to pluck the trees. Good luck.

Wow Renegade, your story brings tears to my eyes. What a life you have lead

Sounds an awful lot like what was called "gleening", so many years ago, when I was very active in a church that I belonged to, before I was no longer active in that sect. We would go and work the fields, there was a particular term for that non-activity in the church, but it fails to come through, deep in the cobwebs of my mind. Good things, have a most wonderful night, day and life, lots of happiness, CynthiaM.