I roll into town and immediately begin my hunt.
Wherever you go, people have excess harvest and are looking for ways to divest.
Then theres the cost: you cant beat free.
Have you seen the price of peppercorns these days?
Every place you go has regional specialties growing.
New Mexico has peppers, California has artichokes, and Georgia has peaches.
you’re free to find capers in the desert, and hazelnuts in the PNW.
My next hit is Facebook marketplace, making sure to adjust my location and search for local items.
Keep your searches simple, like lemons or grapes.
Youll find the listings.
The most addictive option isBuy Nothinggroups which, if youre not familiar, you should join.
Theres no commentary on why you want it or if you should.
The real goldmine is in harvest sharing groups, which youre going to find mostly on Facebook.
It might take a little digging.
If youre stuck, join the local gardening group and ask, theyll know where to send you.
Come prepared with boxes or buckets to collect your harvest in.
Will you need a fruit picker, as with apples or citrus?
Ask if the homeowner has one to borrow or find one on your own.
Remember your sunscreen, hat and gloves.
Wear the right footwear.
Will it be muddy?
Wear boots or something with traction that can get dirty.
Also remember that this is symbiotic.
Be neat about it, be sure youre not damaging anything as you pick.
Respect their wishes on where you should harvest or not.
When you arrive, let the homeowner know and always say thank you.
Youll meet fascinating people and hear great stories.
Both were a real score.
But most things are going to require a little more planning.
If youre driving, a cooler might be all you need.
I have apretty great onefor camping that keeps things frozen for six or seven days.
Citrus gets juiced, then put into freezer bags, frozen flat, and then loaded into the cooler.
If it cant be frozen, jars are the way.
Olives have to go through a whole treatment with lye and brine, but are shelf stable once treated.
Jam, pie filling, preserves, or prickly pear syrup are all similarly stable when treated.
Jars can usually be found at Walmart, Target, BiMart or a farm store.
Sometimes you get lucky at the local supermarket.
To figure out what to do with your harvest, check outpickyourown.orgor do some Googling.
We live in a time of endless resources, let your fingers do the walking.
Make it an activity with friends youre visiting.
The best part is that you dont even have to travel.
you could do this in your hometown.
Just like everyplace else, your hometown likely has a wealth of edibles worth harvesting.
Use the resources above to find them nearby, then get to it.
