I don't think there should be a concern that hordes of people will trespass onto someone's yard to forage, but the fruit growing into or falling onto public property is what we're talking about here. It may legally belong to the public, but nevertheless I (and probably the majority of urban foragers) generally avoid picking from any tree that is growing from someone's yard, unless the owner is close at hand to ask permission of. The main strategy of urban foragers (I think) is to rationalize picking from a source that is obviously being neglected by it's owner and where your presence is not trespassing, such as from the parking lot of a business. Below is the list I promised in an earlier post, I hope it is of interest to someone out there... Foraged Fruit around Santa Fe, NM: Key: (Alb) = found in Albuquerque area and south (W) = native wild fruit (N) = non-native species that has naturalized in the area (A) = especially abundant fruit in this area 1. Algerita (W) 2. Almond 3. Apple (A)(N) 4. Apricot (A)(N) 5. Autumn olive (A)(N) 6. Boxelder sap for maple syrup (admittedly NOT a fruit) (A)(W) 7. Buffaloberry (W) 8. Cherry 9. Chokecherry (A)(W) Crabapple Currant, cultivated red Currant, wild golden (A) (W) Currant, wild wax (A)(W) Elderberry, Mexican (W)(Alb) Fig (Alb) Grape, cultivated Grape, wild (W) Groundcherry (A)(W) Hackberry (W) Mesquite pods (Alb)(A)(N) Mulberry, white (A)(N) Peach (N) Pear, Asian Pear, European (A) Pinyon (pine �nuts�) (A)(W) Plum, cultivated (A) Plum, wild (A)(W) Pomegranate (Alb) Prickly pear (A)(W) Raspberry, red (W) Rose hip (A)(W) Serviceberry (W) Strawberry cactus fruit (Echinocereus species) (W) Strawberry, wild (W) Thimbleberry (W) Trebizond date and �King Red� Russian olive (A)(N) Walnut

You are very welcome Jo I don't need much encouragement lol. Yes the view is great, a lot of the time the clouds are down and there is nothing there! The Gold standard would be in its third year or so planted from pot from garden centre so would have had 3 eyes minimum,What you think is carex behind is a clump of rushes (Juncus effusus)that has had the roundup treatment lol, terrible grass smothering invasive plant of acidic damp places, which is most of Ireland! from googling for the latin name I saw that some us nurseries sell it, if i could sell it I'd be a gazillionaire overnight! The carex is a great idea btw it will be done, thanks. My "living mulch" is moss and some bits of clover, every thing becomes covered in moss if you're not careful, I like it but you can have too much of a good thing, I want to have a lovely dark mulched bed, then I'll be happy. The natural environment locally is upland peat bog, my immediate area is a karst with a thin layer of peat, we have sinkholes and underground rivers and lakes,I will show a pic at the end of a view of the area from the top of my mountain. Yes quite a few are getting scapes, where does the time go,seems like a week ago I was prodding for pips . Abby stays small and cute, I just looked up Aristocrat I like it a lot is it a medium sized one? You are right that's Maui Buttercups, it has a little bit of sun scorch but she is ok, I wasn't sure if I liked gold hostas from the pictures so I got her and August Moon to see, I now want Krugerrand so they must have won me over. Footie is a very discerning cat lol. Raspberry Sundae was 1 eye last year and small ,2 eyes this year and larger leaves that what I was expecting and the colour as I didn't have it for spring last year, for a white centre its doing good. I got Big Daddy in the early spring and I had a fertle in the pot to see how many eyes there were I found 5 I think but more than that came up, I am very suprised at the size of him. Ya I'm sure MA will be ok there are new leaves appearing, thanks. Denis

Hello to you all My kids and I had to live on top of a hill surrounded by 100 or so acres (that belonged to my late ex husband's grandmother). We had no home, no money,nothing to our name except a car that eventually got taken back. We had a tent and an old run down camper that had been up there since my husband was a kid. Our kids stayed in that and we in the tent. Most of what we eat for that year came from what I could find in those woods that were edible. We did get foodstamps but when you dont have a fridge there aint much that you can keep for long when it is a hundred degrees out. We cooked on an open fire using my cast iron pans that my parents gave me when I first married. Alot of what I knew about living off the land came from what I had learned as a kid from my family and from reading. I am far from being a city girl and my anxieties make living where I am now hard especially being a single mom. My kids loved living up on that hillside. No electricity, no video games, just nature. My son was healther than he'd ever been. I finally broke down and using only a hand saw began cutting trees down to debark and build a cabin. It took me 6 mo. to do this with little help from my mother-in-law and husband. We lived a total of a year this way. Though my marriage wasnt great and he spent no time with our kids. My kids and I we happy. I homeschooled both of them during this time and they learned more then than what they are now in public school. I had a controlling husband who was controlled by his mother. My kids and I went through more mental and verbal abuse than any kid should. I finally got the courage up to divorce him when my 9 yr look at me and said, "mommy its time. Its not right how daddy treats us or you." By this time we had just bought a 60 acre farm and I found courage from my kids to tell him I wanted a divorce. I almost lost everything. When it was all said and done We had lost the farm for he wouldnt give me time to find a job ( stay at home mom for ten yrs). Our 9 yr old daughter lost her 2 horses, 6 dogs, and 4 cats. She took care of them her self. up 6 am feed them 1st then herself and would go out and spend time with all of them (rain, snow, sun, 12degree to 100 degree weather didnt matter.) I know what it is like to want to go back to that time on the hill. But we dont have the land nor the money. We still go through the woods with permission. We collect seeds to continue the growth of the wild and If there is plenty we will dig a plant or two up and replant them by the house. Most of my garden has come from the woods near by and the rd side. We still go out to find edible but we watch what we take and we try to give back to keep it going. So rembrance consider collecting a few of the plants (provided there is plenty and not endagered. with permission) put them in pots and grow your own. (easiest done with perenial plants) Collect seeds and start your own. Just a suggestion from three who enjoys being in nature and live the way we feel we were supose to. I am just glade to have my kids. The judge listened to what they had to say. As for the colledge degree, I dont even have a high school diploma. Though after my divorce I have been trying. One day My anxieties, panic attacks,and partial siezures will not controll me.

Mystic, Ct Told by local REALTOR just yesterday that DOM is 38 ("if priced right" - whatever THAT means?). Still lots of inland inventory. Not much available within 1/4 mile of the coast. I'm starting to see price drops. For example, one I've been following was $748K in Feb. '07, dropped to $725K in April, & is now at $699K. The home is empty except for a caretaker. It needs about $200K in remodeling/updating (period home). New construction houses are just sitting with no price drops from February '07. Hello? We don't have a lot of new construction. One group of four homes priced in the $2.5M range & another 6 priced between $650K-$750K. Then, there are a few single spec houses dotted around further away from the village around $450K. Lots of Open Houses on Sat. & Sun. Major intersections are full of "House For Sale" signs with arrows...sometimes, 3-4 signs on a corner. These would be outside what is known as "Historic Mystic" but still in the general vicinity...east of New London & before the Rhode Island border along the I-95 corridor. Tricia