Since I manage to kill off apricot trees pretty regularly I’ve taken to hitting up others for their excess and neglected fruit- they’re often happy to have it gone, and I think they don’t mind the jar of jam I take to them later.
On the last apricot I gleaned the owner was curious about pruning and I explained about branch collars, removing deadwood (there was a ton of it) and the like, and volunteered to help him with it sometime.
I can see where this could turn into something of a symbiotic relationship. At one time I suggested to the county extension’s Master Gardener people that there could be an organized way to do that with volunteers taking care of some of the hundreds of neglected trees around town, and the food bank being the beneficiary of at least some of it. The idea was well received, but went nowhere.
I imagine there’s all kinds of potential issues, primarily liability concerns, food contamination and the like, but I can see how some good could come out of it too. I know there’s at least a few people in this group who have some pretty good projects and initiatives along these lines.
Anybody care to share their experiences?