tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post5087491367270571579..comments2024-03-26T10:01:18.135-04:00Comments on Living the Frugal Life: A Good Gleaning HaulKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-70433137094772546602013-09-09T01:49:42.698-04:002013-09-09T01:49:42.698-04:00Gorgeous!Gorgeous!Hildegardehttp://themeatgrinders.info/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-7530908603154412562011-10-05T09:15:15.048-04:002011-10-05T09:15:15.048-04:00Christine, thanks for letting me know about your p...Christine, thanks for letting me know about your post. Good one.<br /><br />Tim, I don't think I can take any credit for your luck, but I'm happy you got some free fruit. Can't offer any advice on canning whole pears or pear halves. I only make them into jam or use them fresh in baking. I'm generally not a fat of canned fruit, as fruit. The texture is all wrong for me, so I'd rather just have it as jam.<br /><br />Tonya, go to it! And I hope your haul is at least as good as mine.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-56323237405903292582011-10-04T19:38:31.552-04:002011-10-04T19:38:31.552-04:00How wonderful for you.
We need to take a ride to g...How wonderful for you.<br />We need to take a ride to gather all of the wild apples from the roadside to make applesauce.<br />Warm wishes,<br />TonyaTonya Gunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09140984106118247860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-16489354579443749142011-10-02T19:25:38.638-04:002011-10-02T19:25:38.638-04:00Wow - your recent post must have brought us some g...Wow - your recent post must have brought us some good luck with pears as a neighbor called us up to let us know that we were free to take all the pears we wanted off of their two full-size pear trees! My boys and I picked a grocery bag each, barely putting a dent in what was on the tree, and the neighbors were shocked by how little we took. Perhaps we'll go back this week for more. Question - how are they to can? I have limited canning experience and while I have several books on the topic, always appreciated real-world opinions. I'm not sure what variety they are, further complicating the matter.<br /><br />As an aside, the real benefit was not the free fruit, but rather the fact that we spent some time getting to know our elderly neighbors better - they invited us in to visit, sampled some desserts they were making for company they're expecting tomorrow, and had a nice time. Genuine community building - a true blessing.timfromohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-49711301463168945662011-09-30T12:08:39.934-04:002011-09-30T12:08:39.934-04:00Kate, I wrote a little post about our beech nut ha...Kate, I wrote a little post about our beech nut harvest, which was quite pathetic. I'm very sad there are no acorns this year, but maybe it will reset the mouse and squirrel populations.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00277082431628319040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-28821446070412046972011-09-29T18:36:29.734-04:002011-09-29T18:36:29.734-04:00Emily, it would never have occurred to me either, ...Emily, it would never have occurred to me either, except that I was harvesting this big load of pears before they were off the tree. See what we learn when we explore?<br /><br />meemsnyc, I made a few of them into elderberry-pear jam today, but I've only just scratched the surface. I pulled a couple of dozen more out of the fridge to start ripening. That'll take at least a week though, so I have time to think about what's next.<br /><br />Denise, nice! Nothing like scoring free plants!<br /><br />Dorothy, good move. If the bank were to care one way or the other, they'd probably prefer the fruit not rot on the ground. Probably the neighbors too. What are you going to do with them?<br /><br />Dmarie, yes, now to make use of it all...<br /><br />Cindy, that's another way of looking at it. I'll probably keep separate tallies, because I don't want to misrepresent what can be done on a small property. My goal is to show others what they can do on a lot my size, and I wouldn't feel right claiming I produced this myself. Glad I inspired you to visit that orchard.<br /><br />Tamar, that jelly sounds lovely. If not asking is working for you and the neighbor, I won't insist you make it a formal arrangement. But you do seem to have a certain je ne sais quoi that inspires people to generosity. It's probably generosity on your part which you're too modest to mention. But if I bolstered you, all the better. Gleaning is fun!<br /><br />Hi Richard from Lebanon Co! Welcome to my little outpost on the internet. I can't say I've run across too many Amish on the internet, so I'm glad to have you stop by. I'm not in your county, so I can't offer you a cup of tea. But it's good to hear from a fellow Commonwealther.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-76838232785266898802011-09-29T11:20:10.538-04:002011-09-29T11:20:10.538-04:00Well, there's this crabapple tree. It's h...Well, there's this crabapple tree. It's huge. It's beautiful. It groans with fruit. <br /><br />Last year, I made a crabapple anise jelly that was addictively good, from crabapples I took from the side of the tree facing the road. This year, though, I feel like I should knock on the door and ask permission, and I don't look forward to that sort of thing.<br /><br />Your post bolstered me a bit; maybe I'll manage it this weekend.Tamar@StarvingofftheLandhttp://www.starvingofftheland.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-74419150702854722202011-09-28T10:38:58.084-04:002011-09-28T10:38:58.084-04:00Wow, that's a lucky haul! And I would totally...Wow, that's a lucky haul! And I would totally count gleaning into my homesteading total, since we're counting the food which is available to us. We still haven't gone to the abandoned apple orchard down the hill from us, but your post has inspired me!Cindyhttp://www.beesinourbonnets.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-54670124635540998422011-09-27T11:41:12.590-04:002011-09-27T11:41:12.590-04:00wow, that's some impressive gleaning!!wow, that's some impressive gleaning!!Dmariehttp://bettermebetterworld.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-30536672202894685622011-09-25T22:13:12.534-04:002011-09-25T22:13:12.534-04:00I just gleaned almost a bushel of what appear to b...I just gleaned almost a bushel of what appear to be Golden Delicious apples from a bank-owned home in my neighborhood. I spoke to all of the house's neighbors about my idea to pick the fruit and surprisingly, not only did the neighbors not care, they thought they weren't edible b/c they were never sprayed. That's why I wanted them! ORGANIC. =)Dorothy-Life With Boyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06699859607138279117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-59738715899814164022011-09-25T13:41:15.665-04:002011-09-25T13:41:15.665-04:00This past spring I was able to glean two rhubarb p...This past spring I was able to glean two rhubarb plants.....I was able to harvest some, but I didn't over-pick as I wanted to give the plants a chance to settle in.Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16939855614446303349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-16758874359415763102011-09-25T03:06:31.979-04:002011-09-25T03:06:31.979-04:00This is so amazing! How wonderful that you have a...This is so amazing! How wonderful that you have a neighbor that generously allows you to harvest pears off their tree. I can't wait to read what you do with these pears!meemsnychttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10584936035577822444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-75742761551702391792011-09-24T18:19:44.027-04:002011-09-24T18:19:44.027-04:00I'm surrounded by gleanable fruit (apples and ...I'm surrounded by gleanable fruit (apples and pears) and yet again, just haven't gotten around to it. :( <br /><br />Thanks for the tip about how to pick pears - chilling never would have occurred to me!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-22692808752403190812011-09-24T07:22:12.573-04:002011-09-24T07:22:12.573-04:00Micheal, that's right. I forget that Philadel...Micheal, that's right. I forget that Philadelphia has its very own microclimate within PA - just warm enough to make the difference for figs. I say be proud of your urban gleaning!<br /><br />Kristine, nice score. I wonder if the parks & rec people might be a resource to learn about other gleanable trees on public property?<br /><br />Christine, I'd love to hear about your experiences with beechnuts. If you post anything about them, would you kindly let me know?<br /><br />Anna, excellent suggestion. Thanks! I love pear butter, but it hadn't occurred to me to make some.<br /><br />CallieK, sounds like a great organization. We lost our cherries to the same phenomenon this year. The pears in this area bloom later, I guess. Enjoy the grapes and apples. I don't think I have enough spare juice to make a significant amount of syrup. But I'll keep the idea in mind for the future.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017959421018964001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-26205220355683294002011-09-24T06:52:24.652-04:002011-09-24T06:52:24.652-04:00I work with an organization called Not Far From Th...I work with an organization called Not Far From The Tree (notfarfromthetree.org) and we glean all over the city of Toronto. Sadly this was not a great year, rain washed out the pear (and cherry) blossoms in spring so I haven't got to pick a single pear yet this year! Lots of grapes and apples tho so I can't complain too much.<br /><br />Also: pears in elderberry syrup, just sayin'CallieKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04991717349717389292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-3303532868093687192011-09-23T19:09:35.825-04:002011-09-23T19:09:35.825-04:00May I also recommend pear butter? I like it better...May I also recommend pear butter? I like it better than apple butter, even. For me, it's a nice change from jam or jelly; a rich but subtle flavor, often less sweet, and great with morning oatmeal! I like to season mine with fresh nutmeg.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08160639032946554005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-46113549299566435312011-09-23T14:32:43.642-04:002011-09-23T14:32:43.642-04:00We're giving beech nuts a try this year since ...We're giving beech nuts a try this year since they are dropping and acorns are not. The beech nut is so much smaller, but it seems to be easier cracking. We'll see how they taste in about a week.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00277082431628319040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-80782591838092648312011-09-23T13:38:08.543-04:002011-09-23T13:38:08.543-04:00I recently picked about 10# of apples from a city ...I recently picked about 10# of apples from a city park--when I called the parks&rec office to see if it was ok, they said no one had ever asked them that before!kristinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01473439886498415655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7237633934633144064.post-83704351941742065312011-09-23T09:56:36.789-04:002011-09-23T09:56:36.789-04:00City gleaning is a mixed bag. There fig trees sca...City gleaning is a mixed bag. There fig trees scattered throughout Philadelphia, many of which overhang public property. To my mild shame (and less mild pride, perhaps), I've picked a fair few walking back from a late night.Michael Greenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17752327998242049897noreply@blogger.com