Do you like to pick fresh fruits/berries/vegetables when they are in season?

September 8, 2009 10:27am CST
Hi mylotters, I have finally cleared some comments and so am allowed to start a new discussion ~ Celebrates ~ Since the picture I wanted to add to this is easy to edit I decided to make this first, that and it is most relevant too I think! But anyway: Over the last few weeks when I have been walking around I noticed that the blackberries are on the brambles, and randomly I decided I would pick some to eat on my way home. It has been great fun and definitely made the journeys more enjoyable, though I think next year I will take something with me so I can wash them first. They have a strange dusty taste when eaten after being freshly picked lol! When I was younger I used to go around with my grandparents to the moors where we picked blueberries, and maybe some blackberries, which they would make into jam or pies. I might try and do that sometime in future years so they don't go to waste. Seeing them dried up on the brambles last time I went out was a touch upsetting, but at least I could be proud that I helped some fulfil their destiny this season (I have odd thoughts at times lol). So yea, have you ever picked fresh fruit/berries/vegetables when you have been out walking? All the best, and many thanks for the responses, Dranz
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11 responses
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
8 Sep 09
Hi dranz, I used to go blackberrying in the Uk but we don't have any here in Greece. What we do do when the weather is cooler is walk a lot locally and pick the wild herbs, there's a mint patch grows wild about a 20 minute walk from the house and we often make a walk of going to collect it, but I only need to step right outside the house to find wild sage and thymne in abundance. I daren't ever pick fruit when I'm out walking as no doubt the tree will belong to someone and someone else will see you and ones reputation would be instantly ruined as everyone knows which tree belongs to each person. I have some good friends though who invite me along to pick their fruit so in a usual year I get fresh mandarinis, oranges, figs, pomegrantes, grapes and lemons.
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8 Sep 09
Hi thea, I like the idea of picking fresh herbs, though knowing my luck I would go and get the poisonous ones lol! I would try and pick more wild fruits and berries if I saw them but blackberries and blueberries are pretty much the only ones I know, that and the bigger ones don't grow in my local area I am amazed about the tree thing though, does that include ones at roadsides and other public places? I always imagined those ones would be free for anyone, and ones in gardens or within field boundaries are privates owned. Then again I know next to nothing about Greece, it shall be fun learning though Many thanks for sharing Dranz
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
8 Sep 09
Hi dranz, there's plenty to find out and I've just set up a new interest called Greek life style so that I can put things in there about Greece and how things are done here and then here back how things are in different places so we can all get to know about our different cultures, it should be fun. There are orange trees in the middle of the street in town but they must belong to someone and I often see the fruit going to waste on the ground but one never knows if it is safe to pick. Every single olive tree belongs to someone and they can be all mixed in togther and you can't pick someone elses. As for poisonous, we have a berry which is and it looks just like a blackberry.
9 Sep 09
Hi thea, Yikes I hope that poisonous blackberry look alike stays in Greece, I could definitely imagine myself accidentally picking it if it migrated over here lol! As for those fruit trees I hate seeing fruit go to waste so would probably end up trying to pick some up off the ground as long as it wasn't rotten. Isn't there some sort of rule that if it is on public ground it belongs to the public? Oh well, I would probably have a terrible reputation anyway so it wouldn't be harmed by that lol! That new interest sounds interesting, I shall look out for that. Many thanks for the comment Dranz
@vandana7 (98873)
• India
9 Sep 09
Hi Dranz, the thought itself is lovely. I can only imagine, because I do not have any practical experience. Reminds me of The Sound of Music - berries turning blue. ha ha. We do not have such berries anywhere around. Only shabby looking buildings as far as the eye can see. :( And I really cant afford to move to countryside, not as yet anyway. I did however pick mangoes when I was young. We had ample mango trees in our hostel yard, and a couple of cashew nut trees as well. But the produce was sold to some other person, who used to keep a watchman (we call them maali) at the premises. The poor guy used to sleep under the trees as we were young and inclined to be mischevious. It used to be really challenging to pick some right under his nose. And I am going to be honest about this, even if u think the worst of me. I picked quite a few, even though I didnt relish them. And one day I was caught. The nun handed over a cello tape in my hand and asked me to climb back and stick it where it was. I did that. However I became sensible only after I jumped down from the tree, and found myself standing beside a Russel viper. The fella pitied me, and I realized that the next guy wont be that kind.
@vandana7 (98873)
• India
12 Oct 09
Hi Dranz. Thanks for the best response. :) And it is true, I was a real tomboy, doing such silly stuff. But where have u been for so many days?
16 Sep 09
Hi Vandana, Wow I am going to sound really dense here, but I didn't know cashews grew on trees. That is fantastic. They are one of my favourite types of nuts, so I would definitely have tried picking those...though not if the vipers were always around. That sounds scary, is the Russel one of the dangerous ones? Glad it got you out of trouble though, yikes! I shall hope that in the future you have the chance to move into the country to enjoy picking fresh produce again (without snakes or watchmen to worry about lol). All the best, many thanks for sharing, and I apologise for taking a week to reply Dranz
11 Oct 09
Hi Vandana, That story about you sneaking around the Watchman to get the fresh fruit is fantastic, and so sharing it I awarded you the BR All the best, Dranz
@Humbug25 (12540)
9 Sep 09
Hey there DCLehnsherr I actually picked some lovely red apples yesterday on a walk I went with my friends. It would normally be illegal if the trees belong to someone but there was no one around to ask. They were lovely and really red where no one has touched them. It is also blackberry season here too and shall be picking some on my way to take my kids to play rugby on Sunday. My friend makes jam so I will probably give some to her, that is if my sons don't eat them all first!!
16 Sep 09
Hi Humbug, I never have thought to whether the blackberries belong to anyone, I don't imagine so . No one has complained yet and I have picked them from the same places a few times lol. Those apples you described sound mouth watering. I love red apples though I haven't had any for years now. If I walked past a tree with them in I would definitely try and get one (as long as there was no one around, and I didn't have to climb too high into the tree lol). Many thanks for sharing, and apologies that it took so long to reply Dranz
@daliaj (5674)
• India
9 Sep 09
I like to pick fresh fruits when it is the season. We have so many mangoes tres at home. The mango season is the time of summer vaccation. I used to get up early and ran to the mango trees to pick mango fruits under the trees. Strawberries won't grow in my area. We also have pineapple, guava, and banana at home.
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16 Sep 09
Hey Daliaj, Wow I love the sound of the fruits where you live, especially the fresh pineapples. I love pineapples but they cost quite a lot here so I don't get to eat them very often . Never had a mango, but hearing how excited they made you feel makes me think I should try one sometime. Fantastic. Many thanks for sharing Dranz
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
8 Sep 09
Helo, Dranz. Like Thea, I loved to pick blackberries in the UK. Now I live in Spain, I miss the blackberries. We've been in England for a couple of months, but there haven't been any good ones near us in Cornwall - or if there have, I've missed them. We live near orange and lemon groves in Spain, and the owners don't mind you picking them, as long as the grove isn't fenced, so between the end of November and April, we have as many Valencian oranges and lemons as we want. We've also been told where there are some pomegranates this year, so we'll be trying some of those. What is great about Spain is they don't fly fruit and vegetables half way around the world. At the markets, you buy what's in season, which means it's really cheap and ready to eat. The only really nice produce I've had since we've been in England are home grown tomatoes from a friend, so I can't wait to get back to Spain for the lovely fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Spain
8 Sep 09
Dranz, if you'd bought those plums in Spain, you would have loved them, because they would have been picked ready to eat, not half ripe so they'd keep for weeks in warehouses and on supermarket shelves. Fruit and veg tastes best in season, and I can't understand this obssession of having to have everything available all year round. We've eaten Spanish strawberries in England and thought them tasteless, yet we've really enjoyed the ones we had in Spain - in their season.
8 Sep 09
Hi Sandra, Ahh you are from the country the plums I recently ate are from (they weren't all that nice for some reason, I think they wanted to be back in Spain too lol). Wow it is amazing to hear that blackberries aren't in either Spain or Greece (I forgot that in my comment to thea ). Brambles seem to be everywhere here so I imagined all other countries had to put up with the thorns too! I used to hate them until picking the blackberries this year. I am also definitely starting to think that I would sacrifice fresh blackberries for fresh oranges though. I love oranges so nice cheap fresh ones sound amazing. Shame you missed the blackberries and I hope the rest of your stay in England is enjoyable, when do you go back to Spain? Thanks for the response , Dranz
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9 Sep 09
Hi Sandra, That definitely makes sense about the plums. The ones I bought the time before were British I think and were lovely and ripe, so I snapped up the Spanish ones thinking they would be the same. But even after leaving them for over a week they never seemed to get ripe. I haven't bought anymore this time around just in case lol! I am definitely going to try and stick to British produce whenever possible from now on lol! Many thanks Dranz
@kitty42 (3923)
• United States
9 Sep 09
Hello my friend Well, living in the city we don't have that pleasure but when I use to go to the country with my mom I have been known a take a fruit from a neighbors tree, must be beautiful to be able to do this daily all I remember was how good the fruit was, can't say what fruit I use to pick but it was really good. I have to call it an early night tonight my friend school starts in the morning, I have been busy all day trying to mylot while doing my hair/cleaning/cooking lol you name it I did it today. I will not be here early tomorrow so if I miss you have a good day and wash the fruit first lol
@kitty42 (3923)
• United States
14 Sep 09
Hello my friend How are you? seems like we have not talked in a while, just me I guess I just knew I responded to this, I hope I did not respond to this in another discussion lol no problem my friend, you know I like to share with you, have to get use to you not liking certain things, anyway I wish I had some fresh fruit right now, do you like fruit pies, I don't only pie I like is sweet potato I love it, I also love banana pudding, been so long since I had some, next time I go to the supermarket I will buy the ingredients and make one myself, I am sure it will be good, I have faith Hope all is well my friend.
15 Sep 09
Hi Kitty, I like fruit pies as long as I can put them in a microwave and cover the with the totally good for you, double cream lol! My favourite are mince pies though, I adore them. I ever bought some mincemeat that was reduced in price but I never made anything with it Oh well, I am hoping that now the message thing is hopefully sorted there won't be massive gaps in communication. I haven't been in much of a mylot mood recently though, hence the disappearance. It has been sunny here so I was sitting outside trying to get enough of a tan that it stays around till summer lol! All the best and I hop that life has been treating you well Dranz
9 Sep 09
Hi KItty, You don't have to worry about being on here or anything. I am erratic in what I do anyway so don't expect to see everyone everyday. Thanks for letting me know anyway. I am worrying tomorrow so probably won't be here either! LOL I can't pick the blackberries daily, they are only in season a few weeks if the rate of rotting ones last time was anything to go by lol. It would be neat tp pick things daily though, I need to move further into the country lol! Many thanks for sharing and I hope you had an awesome time being busy Dranz
• India
9 Sep 09
I too love having fruits especially fresh when in season. I love to pick up fresh apples and pears, guavas, grapes and blackberries. When am out on the street I do stop for grapes and pears as they are quite easy to have on the go and I love the taste.
16 Sep 09
Hi Raphael, Wow I would love to live where you are, can you pick the grapes and pears just while you are walking on the street, in the same way I picked the blackberries (and still do lol). I would love to be able to do that. Many thanks for sharing Dranz
@wmaths (564)
• Italy
8 Sep 09
some years i go to pick tomatoes in the summer with my friends. but we do it just for fun.
8 Sep 09
Hey Wmaths, Uh neat, I have thought about growing tomatoes sometime. My grandparents manage to do it, but I haven't tried that yet. Are they nice freshly picked? Many thanks for the response, Dranz
@beaushell (339)
• Philippines
9 Sep 09
One of the happy memories I had with both my parents was tending a small garden. My father growing up as a farmer never loose the opportunity to plant vegetables and fruits even living in a suburban area. He would choose an idle land, ask permission from the owner and make it into a lovely garden. He would always take me and my mom in the planting and growing season. Of course the most awaited time would be the harvest time. That moment of picking the fruit or vegetable in season is a very delightful experience for all of us.
16 Sep 09
Hi Beaushell, Wow your father sounds like a very forward thinking man (I used to know a better word than that but it has gone from my memory ). He must have transformed your local area though those gardens, fantastic. Did he share the produce from the land with the local people, or was it for his family mostly? Many many thanks for sharing, and apologies that it took so long to reply Dranz
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
9 Sep 09
I always enjoy it when the spring and summer seasons come around. That means fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance. I love going to the little farmer's markets. Their fresh fruit and vegetable selections are often better than grocery stories. Getting fresh strawberries is one of my personal favorites.
16 Sep 09
Hi Sender, Hmm, I don't think I have ever had fresh strawberries before, do they taste very different from store bought strawberries? They sound like they should be nicer. I will have to have a look out for that, though I don't think there are many strawberry farms here . I definitely don't walk past any lol! Many thanks for sharing and all the best, Dranz
• Turkey
9 Sep 09
nice