Fruit foraging is a valuable skill, as it not only provides a source of food, but also a deeper connection to the rhythms and cycles of the seasons. Every year I am so excited to celebrate autumn and the coming winter, with the crisp cooler air, the phenomenal sunrises and sunsets, the dwindling summer crowds, and especially the building North Pacific swell. It just so happens that this time of year coincides with blooming pineapple guava trees, an abundance of Nature's candy ripe and ready for everyone to enjoy. Despite their low key exterior, hiding inside is a bright translucent yellow and refreshing sweet-tart synergy of flavor, so incredible that the only thing keeping me from eating them all day is the inevitable lip trauma, like eating an entire pineapple yourself. The self-regulating characteristics of these treats just means that there will be plenty around to enjoy throughout the season, a perfect breakfast or after surf savior snack. Eating them reminds me what time of year it is, and they invoke that palpable anticipation created only by the approaching winter surf season.
The key to neighborhood fruit foraging is to only pick fruit that is open to taking, finding a stocked branch or two hanging out over a fence onto public property, with ripe fruits scattered around the ground. Almost always this fruit is above and beyond what the owners can manage with what lands in their yard already. Instead of letting this resource rot and go to waste, eating the fruit completes the cycle, fulfilling the potential of this food as fuel for life.
Nature Provides :)
Dream setup, corner tree with fruits everywhere
Ripe fruit ready for sidewalk harvest
Take notes, identifying leaf structure helps you know what to look for
Candyland :)
A solid 5 minute harvest will last 5 days
Nature's Candy
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