Picking grapes from vineyards along the way

[danielle aird]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

 

[JCLima]

There's no actual KNOWING the answer because it will depend on the owner of the grapes.
Some would be ok with it.
Some would not.

As a Portuguese, I wouldn't do it unless I had permission from the owner

 

[danielle aird]

There's no actual KNOWING the answer because it will depend on the owner of the grapes.
Some would be ok with it.
Some would not.

As a Portuguese, I wouldn't do it unless I had permission from the owner

thank you.

 

[Former member 92300]

Yeah - there are a lot of youtube videos showing pilgrims picking grapes. I personally wouldn't do it without permission.

Exception might be I have been walking too long without finding a place to get a snack and I know I need something small to keep from passing out - but then again - I try to keep snacks on hand for that at all times so that is unlikely to happen if we are prepared! But - in an emergency to avoid a dangerously low sugar I probably wouldn't hesitate. I am thinking about this because when Spain first reopened during COVID way too many bars/supermarkets were closed when I was walking and there were a few times I really struggled to find a place to get food or fluids besides water. I ended up having to stock up on snacks whenever I did find a supermarket.

 

[ficklefancyfree]

Me and my walking companion at the time, were offered a bunch of grapes (by the people harvesting the crop) as we walked past and ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ whilst trying to take a reasonable photo.

TBH, they were full of pips and had tough skin, not the kind you get at a store. Pick a couple of grapes, but leave the bunches alone would be my vote. We ended up donating the bunches to other pilgrims at a rest stop.

 

[J Willhaus]

Me and my walking companion at the time, were offered a bunch of grapes (by the people harvesting the crop) as we walked past and ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ whilst trying to take a reasonable photo.

TBH, they were full of pips and had tough skin, not the kind you get at a store. Pick a couple of grapes, but leave the bunches alone would be my vote. We ended up donating the bunches to other pilgrims at a rest stop.

Yes, these are not table grapes.

 

[Tincatinker]

In Rioja the vines are pruned hard. Just a few bunches left to ripen . A production rate of maybe 1 bottle per vine. Pick those tough skinned, pip filled, little grapes and you’ll be disappointed and so will the grower.

Ok, that might read like an opinion so here’s a statement of fact - it’s theft.

 

[peregrina2000]

Though I have gotten some pushback for saying this, I believe it is the case that anything that is hanging over the public right of way can be picked. Anything within the boundary lines of private property is, not surprisingly, private property.

I remember once on the LePuy route, a Dutch couple jumped with glee when they saw some strawberry plants that had crept across the obvious boundary line and had some plump red berries just waiting to be picked.

One caution would be that I wouldn’t eat too much of anything growing cultivated in Spain without washing it. Lots of pesticides, in fact, along the Levante, many of the fields have signs with skulls and crossbones and the word VENENO (poison) written in large letters.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

Though I have gotten some pushback for saying this, I believe it is the case that anything that is hanging over the public right of way can be picked. Anything within the boundary lines of private property is, not surprisingly, private property.

One caution would be that I wouldn’t eat too much of anything growing cultivated in Spain without washing it. Lots of pesticides, in fact, along the Levante, many of the fields have signs with skulls and crossbones and the word VENENO (poison) written in large letters.

I remember the delight of cherries & plums hanging over the path on the CF. A hiking pole came in very handy to reach the fruit which exceeded a pilgrim's grasp!
However I also recall the tummy upsets that followed for a number of us.... Did we get our just 'desserts'?

 

[David Tallan]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

I wouldn't assume it either. What is okay along a road with only occasional passers by may not apply to a vineyard along a road where many thousands walk by.

I will admit, they can be tempting. Along the Portugues Central route, when walking in October, the ripe grapes would hang directly above us as we walked the route, not discretely off to the side of the road. But I was strong and resisted!

On the other hand, feel free to offer a hearty "buenas dias!" to any grape pickers along the side of the Camino. You never know when you might be offered some.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

With some unlucky timing, grapes might just be treated heavily with pesticides. So this is another reason I would never pick some unless the owner invites you to do so.

 

[RENSHAW]

More than one pilgrim have told me that the first row was planted especially for pilgrims , BULLSHINE!!
And they are really not what I would call edible? The waste must be significant.

 

[David Tallan]

For what it's worth, the grapes we were gifted with were quite edible, although I was called deep into the vineyard to where the lovely lady in the photo above picked them for me. Maybe there are different varieties of grapes in different parts of the vineyards and the table grapes were deeper in. We were gifted with as many grapes as we could carry and shared them with fellow pilgrims at Casa da Fernanda that afternoon. It was a nice birthday present for me.

 

[Bradypus]

Maybe there are different varieties of grapes in different parts of the vineyards and the table grapes were deeper in.

On my first Camino an elderly lady shouted to me as I passed her house. She stood on a very rickety chair to pick a bunch of grapes from the trellis above her front door then walked over to give them to me. I was terrified she would fall off the chair! A very generous gift but they could have benefitted from another month or two of sun!

 

[Mobilemejen]

walking from Le Puy to SJPdP in the Fall, the King Claude Plum (?) trees were heavy with ripe fruit. I was told that if the branch hangs over the path, that fruit is fair game. The Camino path demarcations are very clear as it is well fenced on most of it, as I remember it. The plums were fabulous and such a treat. I have never even thought of eating the grapes on my CFs---they were clearly off the path/on private property. I would think the general rule would be that if the fruit is on/over the path, pilgrims are welcome to it.

 

[Pelegrin]

Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

I am Spaniard but I don' t know about that
It could be different depending on the region.
I know that in Valle del Jerte (Extremadura) you can take only a number of cherries that fits in your hand.

 

[David with new Kit!]

In the same way I wouldn't take them from a store as they don't belong to me, I don't take from vineyards for the same reason.

However, as above, lots of locals have happily given me fruit as I pass their gardens with my tongue hanging out......

 

[markie6]

Theft is theft , gift is gift

 

[Kathor1]

I am Spaniard but I don' t know about that. It could be different depending on the region.
I know that in Valle del Jerte (Extremadura) you can take only a number of cherries that fits in your hand.

It might even depend on the type of fruit or crop and not only on the region in Spain?

I am not a Spaniard and I don’t know either about Spain - not what the law says and not what is regarded as proper behaviour. I grew up in a rural village in an area far away where there are vineyards and where many people in the village were farming land for crops, including fruit trees, and where the front of their houses had vines growing up and bearing edible grapes. It would never have occurred to me or to anyone else to “take a few”. The grapes are another person’s property and taking them is theft, even when it’s only a few. I lived by those rules on Camino.

I was trying to find a word for it in Spanish but found only a Wikipedia article in German about Austria, Switzerland and Germany where it is called “Mundraub”; the legal rules are different in various regions, many people wrongly believe that it is allowed or used to be allowed (and probably tell others so and that it is allowed for all crops and fruit from the Netherlands to Portugal ). Apparently it is a concept that does not exist in the same way in Spain. A translation would be “hurto famelico”.

PS: I see now that there are quite a few webpages about this question with reference to Spain, and in particular oranges are mentioned in this context. I may read them to become better informed ….

 

[Scott Sweeney]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

I would lean more towards NO, it's not acceptable.

 

[NancyZ]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

I would lean more towards NO, it's not acceptable.

I would agree, because if everyone ate all the grapes there would be no wine

 

[WayWalker]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

In the fall the grapes are ripe and sweet. As are the apples. We never picked them ourselves feeling that it was presumptuous. If they were on top of a fence post, we would eat some. We felt they were being left for us.

 

[trecile]

I would agree, because if everyone ate all the grapes there would be no wine

And that would really be a crime!

 

[t2andreo]

One person sampling the local fruit while walking on the Camino MIGHT be okay. But multiply that by the thousands of pilgrims who will walk that way during the growing season, and you likely make real dent in the farmer’s yield.

There are two issues at play here:

1. It may be a tiny theft, in isolation. But, en masse, it can be a really big deal. IMHO, I would not presume to help myself. I might consider “drops” - fruit that naturally drops from a tree. But I never “pick my own.”

2. You have no idea what fertilizer, herbicide or fungicides were used on these agricultural crops. Do you REALLY want to chance gastrointestinal illness out on the senda?

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[Camino Joe 2021]

I'm no winemaker but I have been instructed on vineyard tours that when a grape is plucked from the stem it damages the vine by attracting pests and growing mold. Unintended consequences bloom into ethical and agricultural issues. To solve that problem, the grapes must be cut from the stem of the vine. Now it's harvesting. Not cool unless you are a worker in the vineyard.

 

[John Sikora]

Never eat anything that hangs over the trail or is on the lower branches. You never know how it was watered.

 

[backpack45]

One person sampling the local fruit while walking on the Camino MIGHT be okay. But multiply that by the thousands of pilgrims who will walk that way during the growing season, and you likely make real dent in the farmer’s yield.

There are two issues at play here:

1. It may be a tiny theft, in isolation. But, en masse, it can be a really big deal. IMHO, I would not presume to help myself. I might consider “drops” - fruit that naturally drops from a tree. But I never “pick my own.”

2. You have no idea what fertilizer, herbicide or fungicides were used on these agricultural crops. Do you REALLY want to chance gastrointestinal illness out on the senda?

Hope this helps,

Tom

I agree. Ask yourself if you would want people picking fruit from YOUR property without permission.

 

[jflorez]

I gleefully support Spanish vineyard farmers by consuming their grapes while on the Camino

...after fermentation, barreling, and bottling, that is.

To trespass onto another's property to do so whilst still on the vine, and without invitation from the owner or their official representative is, in my opinion, theft, however minor it may be.

 

[alexwalker]

To trespass onto another's property to do so whilst still on the vine, and without invitation from the owner or their official representative is, in my opinion, theft, however minor it may be.

When enough people do, it becomes major...

 

[SFGfan]

From my experience talking with a vitner while walking through Rioja, he politely explained to us that he & some others deliberately plant a row of grapes along the trail for the perigrinos passing by. We have these ’s to pick & taste so as to not wander into the vineyard itself. Not that I would ever do anyway, but I’m sure it happens.
Common sense is it’s private property!

 

[trecile]

Never eat anything that hangs over the trail or is on the lower branches. You never know how it was watered.

Ewwww!

 

[jflorez]

When enough people do, it becomes major...

Of course - that was my poorly implied point.

To clarify:

"...however minor it may seem".

 

[Former member 92300]

I would agree, because if everyone ate all the grapes there would be no wine

... that was actually my first thought!

I definitely wouldn't pick someone else's fruit off their trees/vines without permission under normal circumstances. But when I couldn't find an open supermarket, bar, restaurant and was starting to feel my blood sugar was too low I would have considered it - but I wasn't passing any ripe fruit trees/vines anyway so the decision was made for me lol. I had gone to Spain after being told that there were plenty of bars and supermarkets along the way and had not yet stocked up on snacks - but because of COVID - nothing was open when I was in a village very frequently. There were quite a few days I would walk all day and never pass an open bar/supermarket. When I did - boy did I buy a lot of snacks!

 

[Keith H]

A properly ripened grape will have ripe pips as well. While they’ll contain tannin and cause a drying sensation they shouldn’t be excessively bitter. The skin is where all the interesting flavor (phenols) comes from but again this only comes on with time. The flesh is generally just sugar and water. I certainly wouldn’t take a bunch but taking 1-2 grapes to taste them would generally be fine. I’ve eaten my fill whilst working harvest many times. But if it’s not harvest time (generally mid August to late September depending on the year) I certainly wouldn’t bother as they’ll be pretty yucky. It can be fun to taste the grapes and experience the base flavors that yeast and other winemaking techniques will build on to make that delicious Vino Tinto.

 

[trecile]

I certainly wouldn’t take a bunch but taking 1-2 grapes to taste them would generally be fine.

But multiply your 1-2 grapes by hundreds or thousands of pilgrims and that's a lot of bunches!

 

[Keith H]

But multiply your 1-2 grapes by hundreds or thousands of pilgrims and that's a lot of bunches!

I’m not advocating everyone take a lot but the pilgrims in the fairly narrow 6 week window are unlikely to do measurable damage given the shear number of hectares of vines one walks through on the CF.

If you want to be extra careful you can only take a couple grapes off of a bunch that has a few grapes. This may seem oxymoronic but small bunches are less frequently harvested as the effort isn’t worth it except in exceptional vineyards.

Or even better there are the second-set grapes that sit above the main bunches. These won’t be harvested so you’ll be doing no harm. They generally aren’t quite as ripe as they’re a bit younger but the can be really delicious.

 

[Former member 92300]

I’m not advocating everyone take a lot but the pilgrims in the fairly narrow 6 week window are unlikely to do measurable damage given the shear number of hectares of vines one walks through on the CF.

If you want to be extra careful you can only take a couple grapes off of a bunch that has a few grapes. This may seem oxymoronic but small bunches are less frequently harvested as the effort isn’t worth it except in exceptional vineyards.

Or even better there are the second-set grapes that sit above the main bunches. These won’t be harvested so you’ll be doing no harm. They generally aren’t quite as ripe as they’re a bit younger but the can be really delicious.

Well... that depends on the size of the vineyard and who owns it. It might not harm some large/wealthy landowners, but could be detrimental to another. And some landowners probably just assume it is happening and let it go, while it might upset another greatly for any number of reasons.

 

[David Tallan]

Never eat anything that hangs over the trail or is on the lower branches. You never know how it was watered.

If folks are watering the grapes hanging overhead over the trail (as I saw them on the Camino Portugues) in unconventional ways, the effects on their edibility are the least of our concerns.

And while I am writing, I can't pass by the mention of fig trees above without remembering some figs on the way into Logroño.. They were a gift.

 

[Anamiri]

Never eat anything that hangs over the trail or is on the lower branches. You never know how it was watered.

Yes, a Spanish man called out a warning and mimed that for me, when I went to pick some blackberries.
Now I only pick from the high branches.

 

[Pathfinder075]

Can't say i've ever been tempted by the grapes. Was tempted by large numbers of blueberries growing in and around the drainage ditches alongside the road into Sahagun. They were wild AFAIK as the fields next to them were grapevines. I didn't eat any in the end. i did eat some wild blackberries while walking from Sarria to Portomarin. Not to mention an apple tree that had dropped some apples on the road on the same leg provided me with 3 ripe apples (picked from the road, not the tree) that i rinsed down with water prior to eating. But the only grapes that I like, are the ones made into Rioja or Port.

 

[Jaime Carrollo]

I once milked a rubia gallega for a nice warm drink. I don’t think the farmer minded as the cow was close to the road.

 

[Pelegrin]

Can't say i've ever been tempted by the grapes. Was tempted by large numbers of blueberries growing in and around the drainage ditches alongside the road into Sahagun. They were wild AFAIK as the fields next to them were grapevines. I didn't eat any in the end. i did eat some wild blackberries while walking from Sarria to Portomarin. Not to mention an apple tree that had dropped some apples on the road on the same leg provided me with 3 ripe apples (picked from the road, not the tree) that i rinsed down with water prior to eating. But the only grapes that I like, are the ones made into Rioja or Port.

. i did eat some wild blackberries while walking from Sarria to Portomarin. Not to mention an apple tree that had dropped some apples on the road on the same leg provided me with 3 ripe apples (picked from the road, not the tree)

Yes, i am Galician and those would be the only cases I picked some fruit in Galicia without permission too.

 

[AussieSunnygirl]

A lovely, elderly lady offered us as many plums as we could eat and/or carry, just a short distance from the outskirts of Burgos. Her husband was using his tractor as a 'cherry picker' and was deftly removing the plums from the engorged tree that was growing on the boundary of their property. They were delicious and much appreciated. We also noticed fully laden apple/pear trees from about Rabanal on, with much of the earlier season fruit lying and going to waste on the ground, seemed like such a waste of good fruit. Such a pity that the community couldn't/wouldn't make use of them.
I must admit to 'sampling' a very small bunch of grapes of which there were quite a few left on the end of rows of grapes closest to the path, after the harvest in October somewhere not too far out from Villafranca del Bierzo...still feeling guilty.

 

[Turga]

I believe it is the case that anything that is hanging over the public right of way can be picked.

Where I come from, this is an ancient tradition (as a sort of charity). It is by no means a right, but I believe it is still generally accepted. There is even and old song describing that when harvesting the crop fields, it should be done ‘lightly’ so that there is something left ‘for the birds and the poor to pick up’.

 

[Richard Smith]

Theft is theft , gift is gift

When we walked there were two ladies in the vineyard picking grapes and invited us to pick some too, we took a small bunch.
Then the ladies left the vineyard and walked away, and we wondered ..... was that gift or not?

 

[markie6]

When we walked there were two ladies in the vineyard picking grapes and invited us to pick some too, we took a small bunch.
Then the ladies left the vineyard and walked away, and we wondered ..... was that gift or not?

Perhaps handling stolen goods. Who knows .. I would not be helping myself like I see some do though

 

[JabbaPapa]

Walking from Santiago to SJPP last year, in late Autumn I came across a few vineyards in Castillia y León that had been fully harvested, except for the one row of vines right next to the Camino. I think those grapes were clearly intended as a gift to the pilgrims.

Generally, I'd say if you come across a vineyard that has clearly gone wild and is not being tended ; or you go through an area when it's clearly long after the harvest, then there's little to feel guilty about.

I would be more careful in a year of bad harvest.

 

[Roscoe]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

Don't take anything that isn't offered.

 

[ginniek]

Yes, i am Galician and those would be the only cases I picked some fruit in Galicia without permission too.

I have picked wild blackberries somewhere between Puente la Reina and Estella and last August (2022) some young boys gave me a few blackberries on the square in downtown Najera and then between Belorado and San Juan de Ortega a young Spanish couple gave me a handful of blackberries they had just picked and also told me (in Spanish) about the nearby monument to the Civil War dead.

 

[00jmac]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

If I had a staff of 12 and they all decided to have an extra 5mins for lunch I have paid an hour of wages for nothing. If 100'000 pilgrims walk past a vineyard and each pick a bunch of grapes.....

 

[JabbaPapa]

My best ever Camino-side picks were ...

1) THE best apple I will likely ever eat in my life, 100% ripe and hanging from an apple vine, not even a tree, beside a tiny tarmac road in France leading roughly towards the direction of SJPP in 1994.

2) Wild blackberries the size of small apricots growing on the edge of a vineyard in the South of France on my 2005. They were indescribably good.

3) ONE quite ordinary fig, though ripe, fruity, and most tasty, hanging lone on a fig tree by the Camino in the Meseta on the 1994 when I most needed it. The beauty of the nature around that tree and that one fig remains with me to this day.

 

[Jaime Carrollo]

If I had a staff of 12 and they all decided to have an extra 5mins for lunch I have paid an hour of wages for nothing. If 100'000 pilgrims walk past a vineyard and each pick a bunch of grapes.....

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there, does it make a sound? If you pick a bunch of grapes and nobody sees you are you really stealing?

 

[alexwalker]

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there, does it make a sound? If you pick a bunch of grapes and nobody sees you are you really stealing?

I didn't hear anything, but the forrest has one less tree. Not good for the owner of the forrest.

 

[JabbaPapa]

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there, does it make a sound?

No.

Sound is our cognitive interpretation of such phenomena.

It makes a noise.

Noise is the material phenomenon of vibrations in a medium that are produced by such events.

---

I would BTW demonstrate one hand clapping to you in person, but it's unfeasible over these interwebs.

 

[Tincatinker]

If you pick a bunch of grapes and nobody sees you are you really stealing?

If you give a dog a bone before you kick it are you really being kind? If you choose your wife’s birthday present with help from your lover are you really being unfaithful. If it says whiskey on the bottle but it’s really turpentine….

I like the concept. I’ll try it with the magistrates next time. It wasn’t a crime’cos no one saw me do it. And anyway they’re only a little bit dead

 

[Tincatinker]

I would BTW demonstrate one hand clapping to you in person, but it's unfeasible over these interwebs.

That’s the trouble with the internet generally: an emoji of a slapped face just doesn’t have the same impact

 

[JabbaPapa]

That’s the trouble with the internet generally: an emoji of a slapped face just doesn’t have the same impact

Mine is less violent, but that works too ...

 

[Jaime Carrollo]

Oddly enough, I heard the clap!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

Let's see... if every pilgrim that passes by picks ONE bunch of grapes, how many would be left for harvest? PLUS, they spray the grapes with fungicide - just buy your grapes at the market and leave the farmer's income alone maybe?

 

[Jaime Carrollo]

It might be a crime to pick some grapes but if they are tempranillos in October, it would be a sin not taste a few.

By the way, anyone else thinking this thread has run it course? OP?

 

[Former member 108241]

I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer.

Lots of answers with opinions and not many facts so apologies for adding my own opinion to the chorus.

It should never be acceptable for anyone to wander onto private property and compromise any crops. This includes fields of sunflowers. The world doesn't need another instagram shot of someone's mug next to a sunflower fashioned into a smiling face.

 

[alexwalker]

It might be a crime to pick some grapes but if they are tempranillos in October, it would be a sin not taste a few.

By the way, anyone else thinking this thread has run it course? OP?

I think so. You lost.

 

[David Tallan]

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there, does it make a sound? If you pick a bunch of grapes and nobody sees you are you really stealing?

If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody there just a tape recorder, does it make a sound? I think most would say yes, because evidence is generated and retained of the sound. If you pick a bunch of grapes from a vineyard, those grapes are not there for the farmer. That is the evidence that is retained of your action. No one may be able to successfully prove that you have been stealing, but that doesn't negate the harm to the farmer. It may be very small if it is just one pilgrim walking by. But when there are thousands....

 

[Tony Lenton]

This isn’t particularly relevant but this thread reminds me of an old(e) anonymous verse;
”The law doth punish man or woman
who steals a goose from the common
but lets the greater felon loose
who steals the common from the goose.”

 

[E V Waight]

I would agree, because if everyone ate all the grapes there would be no wine

Taking property without the owner's consent is theft, any way we want to dice it. Some farmers may not have a problem with it, others would. Do the math: approx 500,000 pilgrims per year. Say 1 in 10 picks a bunch of grapes, that is 50,000 bunches (at least, it could be much more). The loss does become significant for the vineyards. I am not sure what the ratio is per bottle of wine?

In like manner, I do not suppose anyone would disagree that we just do not walk into a store and help ourselves to items on the shelves and walk away without paying
Just my two cents.

 

[GRR]

I have a Spanish friend who lives in an orange growing area. She informed me that it is totally acceptable for a person passing by to pick one orange and eat it. It is NOT ok for that same person to pick many oranges. I wonder (and please NOT opinions, but if someone actually KNOWS) is it ok to pick a bunch of grapes in the fall along the Camino? Or is it considered stealing? Maybe a Spaniard knows the answer. Thank you. And btw there are wild fig trees in Torres del Rio where anyone can pick the figs.

I picked and ate grapes on the Camino until one day I witnessed the grapes being sprayed with copious clouds of pesticides …

 

[Tincatinker]

It might be a crime to pick some grapes but if they are tempranillos in October

Tempranillo, "the early one" harvest is late August to early September. If there are Tempranillo still on the vine in October, help yourself. They're still tough skinned, pippy and, by October heading toward a rather crunchy raisin. Most Supermercados and Fruiteria will provide you with a much more enjoyable bunch for a € or two.

 

[Tincatinker]

A thank you to @Tony Lenton who reminded me of this loved song:

The Goose and the Common
Authors unknown - a number of versions©1700s

The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from off the goose
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine
The poor and wretched don't escape
If they conspire the law to break
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back
[Seventeenth century protest against English enclosures]

The Askew Sisters rather ornamented version here:

 

[oursonpolaire]

Ewwww!

I was once given a bottle of good Rioja after making a presentation to a pilgrim group, and the volunteer who presented it to me made it clear that it was vinted from grapes from the second and third row of the vineyard, not the row of grapes immediately beside the Camino.

 

[henrythedog]

This isn’t particularly relevant but this thread reminds me of an old(e) anonymous verse;
”The law doth punish man or woman
who steals a goose from the common
but lets the greater felon loose
who steals the common from the goose.”

That’s still true where I live. Crime against property still carries harsher penalties than crime against a person. But then, who made the laws 100+ years ago …

Come the revolution …

 

[alexwalker]

Come the revolution …

NOW, please.

 

[Texas Walker]

Yes, a Spanish man called out a warning and mimed that for me, when I went to pick some blackberries.
Now I only pick from the high branches.

Even with wild berries, it's good to avoid the height that is convenient for canines to aim at.

 

[trecile]

I picked and ate grapes on the Camino until one day I witnessed the grapes being sprayed with copious clouds of pesticides …

So the fact that you were stealing didn't bother you, only that it might have negative health effects for you?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Even with wild berries, it's good to avoid the height that is convenient for canines to aim at.

And wild boars.

 

[Trailhawk]

I passed by vineyards, orchards of pears, apples and peaches, a kiwifruit farm. All these were inside private properties and fenced. I denied myself the urge even if I needed something to fill my tummy. I did picked three pieces of cherry from a tree growing on a sidewalk, therefore on public land. There were many falling on the ground and there were enough for the birds.

 

[Tony Lenton]

A thank you to @Tony Lenton who reminded me of this loved song:

The Goose and the Common
Authors unknown - a number of versions©1700s

The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from off the goose
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine
The poor and wretched don't escape
If they conspire the law to break
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back
[Seventeenth century protest against English enclosures]

The Askew Sisters rather ornamented version here:

Thanks for that, too. Until now I wasn’t familiar with the whole verse. I’ll try to commit it to memory, though age may hamper that process.

 

[oursonpolaire]

One of the benefits of the lesser-frequented caminos was the opportunity to exchange greetings with gardeners and farmers along the way. Upon complimenting the quality of the produce, I was oft presented with little bags of tomatoes, or figs, or bunches of grapes, with their compliments and best wishes. I soon found it impossible to think of taking the produce.

When fruit trees are on public or unfenced land, I have succumbed to some harvesting. However, I learned a lesson from a Norwegian pilgrim north of Gallur, who told me that the previous day he had enjoyed dozens (!!!) of figs, but spent the evening dealing with the inevitable results. I sympathized with his situation as I quite love ripe figs; in Ottawa, they are $1.19 each but in Spain, they grow on trees!! Still, one should be enough.....

 

[MaryLynn]

Yes, these are not table grapes.

AND...they have been sprayed with pesticides.

 

[Robo]

OK, not grapes, but....
A few days ago on the Invierno, an old guy called me over.
I'd come down a long steep descent and was a bit wacked..

It was one of those remote, isolated, beaten up old houses with a vegeatble patch and a few trees.

He wanted me to try the cherries from his trees. He pulled a couple of branches off the trees and we sat eating cherries, that were washed and still dripping from the morning rain.

I've never tasted better.....

 

[Joeninho]

OK, not grapes, but....
A few days ago on the Invierno, an old guy called me over.
I'd come down a long steep descent and was a bit wacked..

It was one of those remote, isolated, beaten up old houses with a vegeatble patch and a few trees.

He wanted me to try the cherries from his trees. He pulled a couple of branches off the trees and we sat eating cherries, that were washed and still dripping from the morning rain.

I've never tasted better.....

I had a very similar experience on the CP via Fatima in between Fatima and Caxarias.

Lovely old lady in a village who was surprised to see me and wanted me to try cherries too. Beautiful experience. And she gave me a traditional homemade Portuguese cake and a bottle of water (it was 30c).

I've never tasted better either

On the original topic, I was told on the 3rd day on the way to Santerem by an experienced peregrino never to eat the stuff in vineyards or farms because of pesticides. Although I'm sure another poster has mentioned this. But, there are wild fig trees all over Portugal (unfortunately I have an aversion to them, but fellow peregrinos said they were the best), and the wild blackberries growing by the river near Porto de Muge were delicious (I saw a couple of Portuguese grandma's picking them and they invited me to join them). I love Portugal.

Bom Caminho everyone