When our kids were growing up we had this beautiful orange tree in our backyard. This tree literally bloomed almost year round (I tried to find a picture with it in full bloom but nooooooo there was not one to be found). Our kids joke now about how they were 'forced' to eat these oranges....they'd come home from school and say "I'm hungry" and we would tell them to go pick an orange from the tree. Fresh squeezed orange juice was our drink of choice. The oranges tended to be a little sour at certain times of the year so I'd squeeze when they were sweeter and freeze the juice to have later. I spent hours on end squeezing and freezing it.
My parents had a plum tree in their yard - we had a ton of plums at our disposal during the spring and summer months. Rather than freezing these (wasn't sure how well they'd do) I would make plum jam by the gallons...we'd seldom have to buy jam for our peanut butter and jam sandwiches or toast.
After several years we thought we'd give the kids a break from oranges and we planted a peach tree but alas the tree only gave us a couple peaches a couple years after planting....and then we moved before it had a chance to bloom again.
Now we live in Phoenix where the fruit trees abound...grapefruit, orange, and lemon trees are in most peoples' backyards. We live in a condo and have no tree and no where to plant one. I have to go to the grocery store and pay an arm and a leg for fresh fruit! Oh to get my fruit tree back............
Mary Post Warren
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Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
Wow - we have both been inspired this winter to write about fresh citrus. I think the dim winter light must make us crave these healthy foods!
ReplyDeleteWow I loved and hated that tree. enjoyed climbing it, hated having to always eat oranges from it.
ReplyDeleteRob