How To Get FREE Apples! (legally)

It is apple season!

Do you ever see all of those beautiful apples ripens on apple trees and want to pick them? But don't know if it okay do it or not? And just watch them fall off the tree and rot away?

Well, I later learned to how to legally pick all those nice apples for free! So, on this instructable, I will teach you how to legally pick free organic free-range pesticide free apples!

Step 1 The important rule

Okay, you cannot go running out of your house and immediately start picking apples form the trees, you must know the important rule first...

• You can ONLY pick apples from trees if its branches are growing over or growing in public areas, like along the road, pavement (sidewalk), and areas like that. However, it is illegal to pick apples that are within somebody's property line.

Note: Some people may complain at you if you pick apples from a tree or a branch that is over the public areas, they have no right to do that. However, they DO have the right to complain at you, or call the police if you pick apples that are within their property...

Important note: This rule is used only in United Kingdom, and in most parts of USA, in some states of USA, it is illegal to pick apples from trees in pubic places, check with your local authorities first. Also, I don't know if you can pick apples in public areas in other countries.

Comments

[Modernbenoni]

Unfortunate typo on step 1 - "pubic areas"

[awang8]

Obviously it's illegal to pick apples from pubic places!!!

'(Snigger)'

Anyway I might try this. (I don't actually like apples so we'll see...)

[Beanbaggio]

...and you wouldn't want to pick crap apples from a 'pubic place'!

[corey_caffeine]

i lol'd

[vitruvian8807]

Yeah, those would be the forbidden fruit.

[Kiteman]

I'm afraid people can complain if you pick fruit from tree branches that extend beyond their boundaries (oddly, you are quite at liberty to cut those same branches off, as long as no harm is done to the rest of the tree).

However, you are perfectly allowed to pick up windfalls from those same branches.

Having said that, most people with fruit trees, especially apple, never seem to eat all they can grow (our last house had a single cooking-apple tree in the garden, we gave fruit away all the time). A polite knock, (do you mind if I pick some of those apples that you don't seem to be able to reach?) and you will probably get all you can carry, no matter what the local laws say.

If you get too many to eat, store them somewhere dark and cool, spread out on newspaper, with no apple touching its neighbour.

[Derin]

its neighbor

[tanmanknex]

kiteman's using the english spelling, you're thinking of the american. it's like color and colour.

[That One Eegit]

Chips and fries

[hintss]

math and maths

[mutput7]

Delicious and nummieziz.

[reddevved]

^+1

[pestan]

haven't you encountered any worms? the only apples i could find were crab apples and i hear they are very bad for you!

[Plasmana]

They have no worms! :-) And yes, I know about crab apples (that somewhat reminds me of the bloody annoying crab grass).

[jcksparr0w]

i hate crab apples

[reddevved]

and you have a "Jar of Dirt!"

[katerlyn]

I use a pooper picker upper saved only for picking apples (at home).

[NaturalCrafter]

In the city near where I live, a bunch of advocates got together and found a tree in the neighborhood full of unused golden delicious apples because the apples were small and possibly might have worms. With permission, the apples were picked with volunteers and then taken to a kitchen on campus and made into some great applesauce. I went through several apples and though small and spotty on the skin, they were perfect on the inside. It was fun as it was a cooking lesson also.

[cpotoso]

"America", BTW, is not a country but a continent. Despite what "americans" say...

[Indigoking]

I believe, unless my recollection of geography has aged dramatically - that the American continent, per see, would include South America, North America (the USA), the bits in between, Canada and land mass all the way up to the Arctic. The USA is often commonly and in my mind incorrectly referred to as "America".

[vitruvian8807]

Actually, there is no such thing as the USA.

[mutput7]

It's just a big empty space of nothingness south of Canada, I assume?

[Indigoking]

Let me correct myself, depending on the "model used", the continent of America, can either be considered "The Americas" (North and South America) or North America solely, the latter considered would include all of Central America, Mexico, and aforementioned Countries, along with GreenLand.

[tincanz]

were any of your apples wormy? I have a tree and every apple on it always gets worms even before it falls

[TATTERH00D]

For those truly interested in saving, try drying your free apples (and other produce) at the peak of the season. Depending on your area you may be able to use the sun (dry, sunny days), or make/purchase a dehydrator. There are tons of instructables for both. Just remember to allow good air circulation. Also, since apples don't breed true, there are a lot of wacky types out there. If it's not an eater, try baking or turning it into jam (crabapples are great for jam).

[pyroal]

Try growing your own apple trees. Take an apple that you picked or bought (whatever your favorite kind is) and bury it so there there is half an inch of soil on top. Then put another inch of sand on top off the soil. (make sure you plant them in fall before winter) Finally in spring you should start to see little apple trees pop up from the ground. You can also just do this with the seeds only not the whole fruit. This will work with any fruit trees. I planted the apple seeds only (because I ate the delicious apple) and for every seed I planted I got a small apple tree. Be careful when digging up the trees to transplant because the roots ar about a foot deep. In good soil and lots of sun light the trees should produce apples after about 7 years (I know its a long time but it pays off in the end. My trees are about 3 and a half feet tall each after four years but that"s because they don't get much sunlight and the soil in Michigan hear is mainly sand. I hope somebody takes my fourteen year old advice and grow there own trees.

[Reducto]

Instead of the ladder, buy or make a fruit picker:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_GLA910_Pole_Fruit_Picker.html

It's safer and faster for those of you who enjoy picking without asking for permission first! Should be easier to stash in your car or on your bike as well.

And as mentioned, you can usually just ask and get all the apples you want.

[Ninjjutsumaster]

Indigoking is right. The americas or america is a continent The United states of America is a country

[freakmonkey]

I've lived in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Iowa and I've never seen an apple tree. Definitely seen my share of citrus groves though.

[AnarchistAsian]

HEY! you should have added stuff like this to the collab!!!!!!

[Plasmana]

Yeah, I made this instructable BEFORE you made your instructable... I can add in pictures and text into your instructable if you want...

[AnarchistAsian]

k great!

[Plasmana]

Okay, I have done it!

[AnarchistAsian]

w00t

[Lithium Rain]

Oy, I never want to see another apple again! We have more than enough apples. A shorter version of this ible would be, "Come to Adrian Monk's house."

[canida]

This is true in the US as well.

Even easier, make friends with people who have big apple trees. They usually like help, especially from limber people with long arms and/or ladders.

I've also had good luck with the Free section on Craigslist - often people will post when their tree is full of more fruit than they can handle, and will happily let you pick so long as you're polite and well-behaved.

[Plasmana]

Thank you for telling me that! :-) I will edit this instructable.

[LinuxH4x0r]

This is illegal in certain states, or certain regions of certain states. I'm pretty sure it was illegal in certain agricultural regions of California.

[m85476585]

You can't be sure that they are organic. Maybe people spray the public parts of their apple trees with harmful pesticides just to spite people that come around and help themselves to free apples.