Extra backyard fruit, other crops find a home in food exchange

When we moved into our home with a third of an acre in Altadena, we inherited an orchard. Oranges, grapefruits, Meyer lemons and pomelos hung like tropical ornaments. Late summer and fall brought a bounty of avocados, figs and persimmons. And when the apricots and plums ripened in spring, we couldn't pick them fast enough. Hundreds of the stone fruit hit the ground and rotted.

By Susan Carrier

September 13, 2008