Harvest Time

The first time I remember eating fruit straight from a tree was at 14. My mom took the family apple picking in upstate New York and the entire experience was a completely joyful encounter. I was thrilled to pick an apple, bite it, and toss the fruit away if the taste was too tart, with no backlash what -so-ever. I felt wasteful but got over it when others did the same thing. I figured it was the culture of apple picking.

The second time I remember eating fruit straight from a tree was at 23. As a Peace Corp volunteer in the Congo every piece of fruit I ate came directly from a tree. That is when I learned to appreciate natural foods and flavors and cut back on adding artificial stuff to change the texture and taste of foods that were already delicious in its natural form.

The third time I remember eating fruit straight from a tree was at 51 when I purchased my current home in New Mexico. The house came with fruit trees and the Hubs added two apple trees to the collection.

Now every season I am excited about harvesting fruit from my very own trees. Harvesting plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and apples is a relaxing, beautiful, and feminine activity that creates love, joy, and happiness to those involved. I have become quite the home baker as I produce preserves, cakes, and pies featuring fruit from my own trees all free of transportation entanglement.

What are your favorite fruits to harvest and why?