The fruits of others...

We've got a lemon tree but sometimes the lemons are too high to reach, so we simply run across the street and grab a few juicy ones from the tree in the front yard of the abandoned house that sits there. It's a quintessential California citronistic moment.

The folks at Fallen Fruit have taken to mapping the public domain fruit-bearing plantlife in various neighborhoods around the country. They started right here in fruity old Silverlake/Los Feliz. It's a great service. No one should get scurvy in this day and age. And when avocados are selling for $4 a pop at your local grocer, why wouldn't you grab the exact same item for free on your afternoon stroll?

The Fallen Fruits brigade explains:

"Free food is available at every time of the year on the streets of Los Angeles. According to the law, if a fruit tree grows on or over public property, the fruit is no longer the sole property of the owner. Fruit trees in particular are highly decorative, and often demand no greater care than any other landscape ornamental. Los Angeles is particularly rich in this respect: bananas, peaches, avocados, lemons, oranges, limes, kumquats, loquats, apples, plums, passion fruit, walnuts, pomegranates and guavas, just to name a few, grow year round in every neighborhood in the city. These fruits ripen at different seasons, so free food is available year round in Los Angeles."

A few other other So-Cal maps on the site, but not too many from elsewhere... I'd be curious to know where else such fantastic abundance lies...