The day before the pick…
Fruit owners receive an email reminding them of the upcoming pick and providing information about who is attending.
Fruit owners are encouraged to email all attendees to confirm details. Fruit pickers and fruit owners should have clear expectations about the type, quality and ripeness of the fruit, who will pick when (if there are multiple pickers on different dates), who will bring what equipment and how much of the fruit will be picked (will all the fruit be picked, only one hours worth of fruit or only one box worth of fruit?).
The day of the pick…
Arrival at the Pick
Fruit pickers arrive at the pick location at the agreed upon time with all necessary equipment (ladders, gloves, rakes, container, etc.).
As a common courtesy, fruit pickers knock on the door to let the fruit owner know they’ve arrived. If the fruit owner is not home, fruit pickers may enter the property as long as the fruit owner indicated they may pick even if not home on the pick listing.
Fruit pickers assess the yard and the condition of the fruit. If the yard is safe for picking and the fruit is ripe, picking may begin. If fruit pickers have any hesitation about their safety or concerns about the quality of the fruit they may leave the site. They should let the fruit owner know their concerns either while at the site or via a follow-up email.
Picking Begins
Before picking begins, any existing dropped fruit should be removed. Dropped fruit should be placed in a specified compost bin (if made available by the fruit owner), gathered in garbage bags and neatly stored off to the side or taken away to an offsite compost site (if fruit pickers have access to one). Due to possible contamination, it is not recommended that dropped fruit be used by fruit pickers. Dropped fruit should never be donated to community groups or used for cider pressing.
Once the area is cleared, pickers harvest the fruit. This may take anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours depending on the type and amount of fruit and the number of pickers. Fruit pickers must show care and respect for fruit owners’ properties and fruit plants while at the same time being safe and avoiding unnecessary risks. This may mean that some parts of a fruit tree may not get picked (e.g. if the fruit hangs over a delicate structure or the fruit is higher than can be safely reached with a ladder, etc.).
When finished, pickers clear the area and leave it as neat and tidy as they found it.
Pickers are responsible for splitting and sharing the fruit 3 ways (1/3 each to the fruit owner, the pickers and a community group unless otherwise noted in the confirmation).
After the Pick
Pickers are responsible for returning to the Fruit Connect site to let Fruit Share know how much fruit was harvested and where it was donated.