Would you eat fruit growing on trees in the parking strip of your neighborhood?

What if an enemy notices your behavior pattern and laces them with potassium cyanide?

That’s funny . Yes I do . My research said if there’s toxins , then they accumulate in the root . You should be safe . I’ve found it to be delicious and healthy .

Those trees aren’t sprayed , so it’s even a step above organic

They say the risks are soil hasn't been tested and could contain heavy metals (like lead) and/or chemials from road run-off, pesticides, gas and oil leakage, animal feces, all of which could in part be transmitted up from the roots.

Also emissions from cars that get deposited on the fruit or leaves, and conducted into fruit, regardless how well you wash it.

And then there is the question if the neighbor home-owner may have sprayed pesticides, or worse. It is an unknown.

Just wondering how others handle this, but I think I am changing my mind on it.

Do you know what they put on the fruits in the store ?

I’ve found the fruit to actually taste better when because you can pick it when it’s ripe . The stuff in the store is picked before it’s ripe and then sits in a warehouse or truck for a while

Yes. I eat wild berries and whatever else I come across. I've gotten blackberries, persimmons, apples, etc.

I ate 40 figs straight off the tree after a 20 miler in the sun and I can't explain how divine that experience was

Probably. Gated. High HOA fee, every month. Keeps the Losers, Trash, and bad fruit trees out.

We need to plant more food . You can’t eat a cell phone !

Jeez, how bad did you destroy the bathroom after that?

Squirrels will go up to fruit and take one bite out of it. Check the fruit carefully for squirrel bites. Don't want squirrel germs.

I wouldn't do that. Seriously, don't.

I can't tell you how many times I've cut into apples with a knife before eating them only to discover a worm lurking deep within.

Dude, wash them thoroughly and then cut into them to uncover anything unwanted.

But I have done exactly like you did with figs before, and mostly because figs tend to be less wormy. Not anymore, though.

And the washing thing is a must anyways.

One time I cut into an apple and I found Mo Farrah hiding inside

When I was a land surveyor parking strips were almost always part of muni right of way. Land owners were responsible for maintenance. Dog walkers were responsible for picking up dog crap. I would take whatever I can grab on the run. If you actually are harvesting why not ask permission from the home owner?

I do ask home owner's permission when and if I cross paths, but that rarely happens.

Considering the risk, I'm not going to glean anymore, at least very very rarely, so as to minimize the risks.

But I am surprised to see tht other runners do this, too. I was expecting a response that I was crazy to do it.

what risk? The tree made the fruit, hoping you would eat it and poop out the seed somewhere else. That is how they cope with not being able to move like animals.

Animal feces? Are you a complete idiot? What do you think farmers have been using as fertilizers for thousands of years?