Foraging is the process by which pirates can gather commodities (fruit, and the very rare gem or piece of gold ore) from uncolonized islands. This is done from the menu on the hold of a ship in port on the island. The gathered commodities go directly into the hold.
Foraging uses one hour of labor per click. It cannot be done until a player has been on the ship or island for at least ten minutes. On a doubloon ocean, this requires a labor badge.
Historical Notes[]
Before it was changed (in release 'Happy Holiday Fruitcake', on 2004-12-14), foraging allowed pirates to gather herbs and minerals, which then could be sailed to a colonized island and sold to/used by shoppes. However, some players quickly figured out the schedule on which these commodoties spawned, and acquired what was felt to be a disproportionate share of the 'found' wealth, which also had a large impact on the economy.
These flaws inspired the Ringers to make changes to the foraging system, creating the fruit and merchants.