Start… sharing fruit

Fruitshare is spreading the word about forgotten fruits, inviting people to go online and seek and share surplus garden-grown fruits.

Thousands of gardens and orchards bear an overwhelming abundance of fruit. In many cases much of this fruit is forgotten about, left to rot or finally cleared away to be composted. But there is a way we can treasure our garden-grown fruits and stop them going to waste. Fruitshare allows people to register free of charge as a Fruitsharer or Fruitseeker and post details of their surplus fruit on a ‘Fruit Available’ list or post their requirements on a ‘Fruit Wanted’ list. The lists are sorted by distance, to allow users to find or give fruit locally. Fruitsharers and Fruitseekers can then contact each other via the website to make arrangements for collection.

Fruitshare is encouraging a positive community spirit, is as local as you could possibly get, and might even refine our baking, preserving and cider making skills as we try new fruits. In the process we could discover old heritage varieties, taste fruits we’d never normally get the chance to savour and hopefully make some new friends too. It’s an initiative founded by RHS award-winning gardener/designer Sharon Hockenhull and developed with the help of Richard Borrie from Orange Pippin. For more information visit the website at http://www.fruitshare.net/.