[decafb]

Also have a small garden with lots of fruit. Plenty to go around so I don't mind other people picking as well. Though we have safety concerns - people climbing trees and so on. We like to be in hearing distance in case something happens, also we have some ladders and other tools harvesters can use and point out good spots.

Anyway my point is - just let the owner know. Most will welcome you and even assist. And make sure you are safe - no-one wants to come home and find a badly hurt stranger in his backyard. Also take care to not damage the plants.

The article generally leaves me with mixed feelings. Less about the stealing. More about common sense - there are many places where I just wouldn't pick fruits - like along polluted roads, heck in public parks there is even risk there are feces on the fruit. In the countryside there are snakes living in bushes making unpleasant encounters when unprepared. I see how the author paints it as romantic, but I feel she is more painting herself as "rebel" or "original" than actually giving advise.