Commercially its a different story. Trees are planted and pruned to maintain easy harvesting. They are sprayed and rodents managed, as well as being overall outproduced by the yield on the farm. Fruit trees are a lot of work. Even literal money growing on trees would be work, against what the saying might imply.
This is a big issue. Every bush and tree I've added to my yard is a learning experience about what "ripe" means and when to harvest. The bright red plums are enticing to the eye but bitter and chalky. Perfect blue blueberries that taste like lemons.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X2...
Food arrives at the grocery store: perfectly checked, standardized, quality controlled, and ready to consume. /s