You know that orange tree in your backyard, the one you thought contained inedible fruit that was purely meant for decorative purposes? As it turns out, a family may have planted it years ago for survival purposes and that fruit may not only be edible, it’s likely going to waste in the present day.

The new label “urban forager” has been coined for those who live off the land by gathering fruits, vegetables and plants that grow in urban landscapes. The Big Backyard program, started by Ted Purves and Susanne Cockrell, is a crop-sharing program that collects and distributes this produce throughout their neighborhood.

"This is a really simple and direct way that people can think about production in a non-global sense," said Purves. "We're all really affected by the globalization of industry, but this is the one place where that system breaks down. There's an obvious thing you can do about that, in terms of the globalization of food."

Urban Edibles is a Portland-based online database that contains maps of food-bearing trees and bushes, and provides guidelines and etiquette for urban foragers. Users can list their own trees if they are wiling to share the produce. For some of the 35.1 million Americans who experienced food insecurity in 2005 and may view the cost of produce as a deterrent, a food-sharing program such as this may encourage individuals actually eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables (most people don't).

For more information, click on the link to read the rest of the article and see if one of these food-sharing programs in available in your area.

» Reuters Health & Fitness