As I was thinking about writing this blog post, something about fruit triggered a memory. When I was in junior high (middle school nowadays), about the worst thing we could call someone was a “fruit”. I don’t even remember what it meant and probably don’t want to know but I can remember thinking some folks were “fruits”. And no . . I don’t remember who was and who wasn’t.
I love fruit . . not the kind of folks I mentioned from my school days . . but the kind that grows on trees. So far, we’ve planted the following:
- 3 peach
- 5 pear
- 2 crab apple
- 1 persimmon
- 3 apricot
- 1 cherry (that will be a pretty tree but will probably never bear fruit)
- 1 jujube
- 2 pomegranate
- 6 fig
- 6 blueberry
We still want to plant:
- 9 jujube
- 4 pomegranate
- 2 persimmon
- 3 plum
- 2 Asian pear
- 3 olive
Yesterday I picked the last jujube. We got three from our little tree this year. That was pretty good for its first year considering that it arrived quite late and was bare root. The third one I left on the tree much longer than the others because I totally forgot about it. The others I picked when they were just getting golden. This one was almost brown. It was way sweeter than the others I had picked so next year I will know to leave them on the tree longer.
The only other trees that are bearing fruit are the fig trees, one in particular.
Fig
Every day I get anywhere from 2 to 6 figs from that one tree. It’s weird though because it froze back. None of the other fig trees showed any damage from the cold at all. This one tree had appeared to be completely dead. I cut it back like I did the others, a bit of new growth appeared and then it shriveled and died. The other fig trees were fully leafed out and this one still appeared dead. Vince said he would dig it up and we’d buy a new one to replant in its spot but one day I glanced over towards it, and it had a few leaves. By then it was quite late for it to just be getting started but it has grown so much. It’s way over my head and all the other trees are not even half as big as it is. I got a few figs from two of the other trees, 3 didn’t give me a single fig. The tree that almost died is big, and healthy and has provided us with probably 4 dozen fat, sweet, juice figs!
And to think . . we almost dug it up. I’m glad we didn’t!
I do believe I could live off fruit. Maybe add a Dr. Pepper every now and then.
lynne quinsland says
at women’s retreat with our church this year, the wonderful speaker talked about vineyards and pruning. how sometimes the vinedresser does a hard pruning which means it is cut WAY back, like to the nubbins of nothing. where you think there is absolutely no hope of its surviving it…..and, then, it grows. and grows, and grows…..beyond our expectations. and, the ones that you think are gonna do way better-like your other trees-pale in comparison……sounds like your fig tree got a hard pruning ;o)
Vicky says
When I was in jr. high, my dad heard me and a friend calling each other a fruit. He asked me what I thought it meant, and I said she was silly and sweet. He laughed. We were so innocent in those itty bitty towns in those days! I love figs! I hope you get a bumper crop next year!
Karen says
I remember my grandfather & my dad had fig trees – that was in Illinois and MO – not conducive to growing figs. Late fall they would bend the trees and bury the leafy tops in the ground covered with dirt and leaves to protect it from freezing. That worked until they were too big to bury! I envy you your growing season and your figs.
Sharon D says
Plants can sure surprise you. The rose that my husband told me three years ago that he would dig up the next week because it looked like the ice storm had completely killed it had so many new leaves on it when my husband went to dig it. It’s given us many new blooms since.
In my kitchen I always keep an aloe plant that I’ve had for years. For some reason it died off about 3 months ago and I’ve had it’s replacement sitting on the front steps all summer. Yesterday I decided to replant it into the kitchen pot. Guess what I found in the kitchen! That dried out stalk had new growth about 4 inches from the root. A new plant had formed at one of the joints. This plant looked completely dried out and of course because I thought it was dead I haven’t watered it in some time. It has no root trailers and where it found the nutrition to form a plant I don’t know.
Karen Langseth says
Use Northerners didn’t use the term “fruit”……we used “fruitcake”…..I’m sure it all means the same thing. That’s a lot of fruit trees you have, it would be nice to be able to do some more kinds here besides apple and plum but in zone 2/3 we are very limited!!
Lee says
In our small-town farm/forest community, calling somewhat a ‘fruit’ was derogatory and certainly in today’s time would be consider ‘hate speech’ and definitely not PC. I miss the fig tree I once had; there’s nothing like a fresh, ripe fig straight from the tree. I brought a growing cutting of it to this home, but it never bore fruit and eventually died. I remember too that the ants love them…and we have plenty of those here so not sure I’d want to encourage them more by providing their favorite dessert 😉
Rebecca in SoCal says
When there’s so much fruit of such variety available, I tend to think I could live on it, too! (Maybe with a supplement of breads.) I know a person who prefers vegetables, though. She makes smoothies to get fruit with her vegetables–the exact opposite of me! 😀
AngieG9 says
I sure wish there were fig trees growing around here. We only get the dried ones. I’ve heard the fresh ones don’t ship well, so have stopped looking for them at the grocery. Too bad, but love the dried ones anyway.
Helen Koenig1 says
I’m like you – I love fruit! Sure wish I had the amount of fruit trees planted that you do! And I was delighted when I found out that even though I live in MA – I can plant figs – just to make sure I give it some winter protection of burlap and lots of leaves for insulation!
Problem is though – son says I’ve run out of room! I say I can probably fit a few more trees in IF I espalier them as though they were going up a wall. May do that – not sure! Still and all, I do have a lot of veggies and fruit planted here!
JanetB says
My boyfriend called me a fruit. What a blast from the past!
Susan says
Fruit and Dr. Pepper sound like a great diet. LOL I could do that.
JudyL says
Sounds good to me!
Mel Meister says
You and I are “of an age”. We used the term “fruit”, too. It wasn’t all that bad. Now days, it would be like calling someone a “dumbarse”. I believe it was a shortened term for “fruitcake”. Someone was “fruity/nutty”… etc.
JudyL says
Yes, that’s what I remember . . being closer to calling someone a fruitcake. It was never meant to be a bad word . . we were of a generation when we just weren’t mean to each other and any name we called someone, we mostly would have called them the same thing to their face or said it in front of a teacher or a parent.
Helen Koenig1 says
Yummm – thinking over the fruits I HAVE planted and what I WISH I had….
HAVE – 2 apples, 1 pear (Asian), 1 pie cherry, 1 peach (someone ate my one and only peach produced!!!!), raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes (was one vine – with no support – made 3 vines – at least – now have 3!), rhubarb, watermelons (next year I start in mini pots and transplant!), cantaloup (same as watermelon).
WANT – 2 plums (one prune plum and one green gage), fig, Meyer lemon (I can do this in a pot!), blueberries, maybe wintergreen berries. Would LOVE to have gooseberries and currants but state law and dept conservation say NO! (disease carriers), more grapes, another bed of strawberries so I can REALLY can!
Egads! I need to move to a FARM! so I can add chickens and dairy goats too!