My sympathies with this. It is very frustrating. I noticed what looked a lot like theft (aka commercial foraging) back in my home area (recently moved from). Certainly elderberries, hazel nuts and apples got stripped bare and my suspicions lay with "commercial foragers", rather than "greedy guts". Though, goodness knows, I've had problems with "greedy guts" as well.
I don't quite understand. Someone got there first and picked the sloes. Is this bad? Maybe the someone had permission from the landowner.
Quixoticgeek got there first, elsewhere, and picked the sloes. Is this OK?
If commercial foraging is theft, surely it is the landowner who lost not people who wanted to pick the sloes for their own use. It may be greedy and selfish to pick them all but I presume the police would laugh if this was reported to them.
IME it is a toss up between leaving the sloes for the first frost and their being blown off by the Autumn gales or eaten by birds. It is far simpler to freeze them for a couple of days before making the sloe gin, then the skins split.
Pollyanna, quite often commercial foragers don't get permission from the landowner. The thing about foraging is that as far as I know, it is legal and acceptable if it is for your own use, but not if you are selling it either processed of unprocessed without the land owners permission.
Another point you made is that 'it will get eaten by the birds'. Well the birds, mice, voles and all sorts of things depend on these things for their food to build up for winter. Stripping a bush means they are less likely to survive. Those that get blown off are eaten by the small mammals.
The OP is all guess work. Was the picking for commercial gain? Maybe it was done by a family of people, all for their own use.
It is very frustrating when you have your eye on a tasty crop of anything, but that's the name of the game. He who gets there first, gets the crop.
In our area the best hedge was flailed; and there wasn't much crop anyway. Flailing hedges does more damage to winter-feed for birds and animals than foraging.
In our area the best hedge was flailed; and there wasn't much crop anyway. Flailing hedges does more damage to winter-feed for birds and animals than foraging.
this really annoys me round here ,tis a urban/semi urban setting and the timing of things done with a flail would attract legal intervention in an agricultural context
isnt about me losing my tasty snacks but the wildlife losing winter forage that there was no reason to destroy
flail early and there is plenty of grub for everyone
One problem with urban/suburban is that people like things to 'look tidy' and get onto the council if they don't. We have a lovely patch of downland grass down the road, and every time things like the scabious start to flower, someone comes along and mows it. Similarly with the pyramid orchids on the verge the other side of the road and the harebells on a bank further down.
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