It’s not something many of us have experienced – picking fruit straight from the source and digging in. I remember blueberries and strawberries, fresh from the plant. Oh sure, I had to pick a few boxes as well, but I was always gently reminded that my parents did the same thing every Summer for a pack lunch and an ice cream. Also, the sun was only two miles off the ground and school was uphill both ways. But I think I’m digressing. Yes. Yes, I am.

The point is, fresh anything, as the ads tell us, is better – only, we’re very disconnected from fresh. But not entirely, if you know where to look. As pictured, Vancouver has a lot of blackberry bushes growing out to where any sidewalk pedestrian can get at them. The photo is just off of 12th ave West, but I remember one massive bush that was slowly taking over an empty lot where Georgia twisted into the park – every Summer, people would appear in the evenings with Tupperware to gather a bounty.

I’ve heard of kiwi trees successfully growing in backyards. Lemon trees. Figs. Rhubarb. Apples. Oranges. And so on. This is Vancouver. With a little work, most anything will flourish.

LA has a by-law that says anything hanging out into the sidewalks and streets are fair game to all, resulting in online maps of where to find what ^[1]. And maps of where to find what if you were brave enough to trespass. And I wonder – how many Vancouverites have take advantage of the climate? Anybody gather some freebie succulents? Any one gained from having a neighbour with a flourishing tree of something? Any surprise fruits out there you wouldn’t think could grow here?