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Fallen Fruit = Fruit for All

by Leah Koenig · July 28th, 2008

Fruit, Jewish Learning, Leftovers, Waste

Last week, walking down my very urban street in Brooklyn, I was stopped short by some bright purple-black splotches that covered a small portion of the sidewalk. They were totally grody (and a little bit scary) – but oddly familiar. I looked up and there was the culprit of the mess – a mulberry bush! An overgrown, concrete-surrounded version of the mulberry bushes that I used to frequent in my backyard in suburban Chicago.

I’d walked past this bush countless times over the last year, but never noticed the bonafide fruit-bearing plant in my neighborhood. I was psyched. I picked off a couple of the dark berries, ignoring the odd looks from passersby and relished in my moment of urban gleaning.

What if my experience could be duplicated many times over, in cities across the country? According to Fallen Fruit a collaborative art project in California, it can and should.

Fallen Fruit’s manifesto:

A SPECTER is haunting our cities: barren landscapes with foliage and flowers, but nothing to eat. Fruit can grow almost anywhere, and can be harvested by everyone. Our cities are planted with frivolous and ugly landscaping, sad shrubs and neglected trees, whereas they should burst with ripe produce. Great sums of money are spent on young trees, water and maintenance. While these trees are beautiful, they could be healthy, fruitful and beautiful.

Through a series of art projects – including a mapping of all the “public fruit” in a series of neighborhoods, a city-wide jam making party, and a series of billboards and bus shelter signs promoting more fruit trees – Fallen Fruit is raising consciousness about cities’ food-bearing potential. They also quote Leviticus on their website (natch):

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shall you gather the gleaning of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger.” – Lev. 19: 9-10

Sure, it seems a bit unrealistic to think that a city like L.A., New York, or Chicago will rip up its ornamental stubs and shrubs to plant fruit trees (though NYC is currently in the process of attempting to plant 1 million trees across the city) – but I can say from experience – it is a delicious idea.

(Thanks to Rabbi Mark Hurvitz for the tip)

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6 Responses to “Fallen Fruit = Fruit for All”

Debs Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I miss mulberries; I don’t see them out here in Seattle. However, we do have lots of urban fruit to glean. Blackberries are an invasive species here and they’ve pretty much taken over the entire Pacific Northwest. I can make a pie from what I pick in public spots within a 1.5 block radius of my house. Our parks have plum, apple and pear trees, as well as blackberry, salmonberry and occasionally thimbleberry bushes.

Some residents grow fruit that they have too much of or don’t want to pick and, if you ask politely, would be happy to have someone help pick the fruit that’s falling all over the sidewalk from their fruit trees — plum, apple, fig, pear, cherry… (Not only ask them, but bring them something as a thank you, like a jar of jam you make from the fruit).

Debs
Food Is Love
Alix Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
This reminds me of a story I wrote years ago about a little boy who collected his neighbor’s excess fruit and donated it to a food pantry. I have no idea whether he’s still doing it, but he got a lot of press at the time (and got lots of other neighborhood kids to join in).
carol koenig Says:
July 28th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Hi Leah
Dad and I were just talking yesterday about the times he took you and Seth for walks and you picked and ate the mulberries from the neighboring trees.
I think mulberries are really not so wonderful to eat but are sort of a forbidden fruit that is safe to eat, and that gleaning creates memories which are sweeter than the berries. Love you, Mom
Yael Maizels Says:
July 29th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Here in Israel, when I walk around in our Yishuv I can see (depending on the season) figs, grapes, pomegranites, almonds, loquats, lemons, oranges, apricots, pecans, plums, cherries, apples, carobs, etrogs and mulberries all growing. Some are on public lands and some are on private lands but this year is shmita and unless someone specifically states otherwise the fruit is free for the picking. Earlier in the year my husband and I took our daughters to pick apricots on a local tree. It made quite an impact on her to see that apricots grew on trees.

Even not during shmita gleaning in Israel is a national pastime. People take pride in the fact that they can identify edible plants on hikes and that they have fruit trees in their backyard. I remember having a picnic brunch with collegues and someone running off to find sage to make tea. Often on our community listserve people invite others to come and pick their extra fruit. Amazing how fruitful an arid country has become in such a short time!
Naf Says:
July 29th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
When I walk around my Bronx neighborhood in between flash cards, I see peach trees hanging over the sidewalk from the yards. I always reach up to check if they are ripe (not yet), but I must say I’m a bit scared that someone is going to get angry if I pick their fruit… But all in all, I’m just happy to see food growing in the city.
deva Says:
July 31st, 2008 at 12:15 am
i’m in dc at my in-law’s and there are a few white mulberry trees across the street. their splotches are not the least bit grody ;)