A common topic at this time of the year here in Germany – especially regarding apples and other fruits. I have been know to avail myself of the odd apple or two – but not from a harvested tree. There is one tree I know that is a cooking apple tree – and it has never been harvested in the 10 years I have lived here in Kronberg. There is another cox apple tree – that likewise has never been harvested – and yet again a pear tree – that has never been harvested. And I take pick-ups – i.e. fruit that has fallen off the tree.

I also collect nuts (yes – I am a hunter gatherer 🙂 )

However – today whilst cycling between Niederhöchstadt and Steinbach I witnessed a man walking with his female partner with child buggy – go, not once, but twice into a field and take sweetcorns – stripping off the leaves and giving them to the woman who put them quickly into the child buggy. EVEN as I cycled past – he did not even pretend to hide what he was doing. I I looked him straight in the eyes as I cycled past and he looked straight back – no shame at all..

Further on I witnessed another couple and the woman had a potato in her hand.. I had observed her going into the potato field and as I cycled on there was one plant pulled up with potatoes strewn around.

Unbelievable – – literally – daylight robbery.