Orange You Glad To Share Your Fruit Bounty? Apple-solutely!

Are you lucky enough to have one or several fruit trees in your backyard or neighborhood? Wouldn't you agree that there's nothing quite like chomping on nature's candy? So fresh, sweet, juicy, and pesticide-free -- mmmm, just knowing that there are no chemicals residues or GMOs makes each succulent bite taste even better!  Now, there does come a point where you start realizing that the fruit is going to go to waste unless you:

• figure out how to clone yourself
• instruct your children to eat 10 pieces of fruit each day or suffer an unimaginable punishment (to be determined once your supply is fully exhausted)
• take hormones that enable you to grow a six-chambered stomach
• become a fruit artist
• risk donating your harvest to not-exactly-appreciative/notoriously wasteful friends?
• summon all of the forest creatures within a 10 mile radius to enjoy a free fruit buffet on you
• pluck all the extra fruit yourself and scatter it in the forest (to make it a little more convenient for them)
• learn how to make fruit preserves
• figure out how to start canning
• make 1001 pies...3002 muffins...homemade fruit leather...dried fruit chips
• master the art of fruit-based moonshine making?

Fortunately, there is a better way. Neighborhood Fruit is an online resource for green-minded, practical folks who hate the idea of allowing a valuable resource like fresh fruit to go to waste. Whether you want to notify people that the apples on your tree are ripe and ready for pickin' or you are on the hunt for a little fruity diversity in your own diet, this tool makes the process easier.

Currently, with their "Fruitfillment" option, two registered participants in the western U.S. are offering their kumquats and lemons for free to anyone who is interested in picking them up. All that they ask is that you select from two pickup options and you're welcome to take away whatever quantity fits inside of a bag. If you prefer, you can locate free fruit from publicly available fruit trees across the U.S. -- they're mapped for your convenience. Naturally, if you are the owner of an abundantly producing tree or two, you are encouraged to register your trees on the Neighborhood Fruit site and offer your excess to the public on the terms that suit you. This site also encourages registered participants to offer excess vegetables and herbs to the public, closing the loop on edible resources that might otherwise shrivel up and be discarded.

Have you heard of other programs like this in the states? How likely are you to participate? Do you think it's a good idea? As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below!