Saturday, September 05, 2009

This peach tree was old when we moved to our house 9 years ago. Every year we're pleasantly surprised to see it load up with peaches.



After we bought the house, but before we'd come to know every nook and cranny, I said the only thing I'd add would be fruit trees. Winter ended, blooms started appearing, and suddenly I could see we had a pear, a peach, a crab apple, and two cherry trees. None were in the greatest shape. They hadn't been tended and had all lived long lives already. But, man, the peaches from that tree are unbelievable. Not grocery store pretty, sometimes munched on by worms, but so good. My favorite thing to do is to get the one from the very top of the tree, the one that feels hot to my hand. When I eat that peach, I taste sunshine.

It's because of this tree that I learned to can. One peach tree grows a LOT of peaches. In the next couple of weeks we'll be picking and I'll be listening for jars to pop. Oh, and making peach upside down cakes, some to eat and some to freeze. There's nothing like eating sunshine when it's cold outside.

We've added quite a few trees in the past nine years - peaches, apples, mulberries, pears, plums, and almonds - gotten our blueberry patch established, and next year we'll be adding strawberries. But I doubt anything will ever taste better than the first peach I ate off this old tree.

5 comments:

laura said...

eating sunshine...WOW!! what a juicy, delicious image!!

i have fruit tree envy!! it is one of my dreams to have a mini fruit farm.

i also have craft room envy...but that was another post!!!

kelli said...

oh yum! Something so satisfying to picking something right from your yard and eating it, fun too! :)

Madeline Rains said...

I feel your joy with the craft room. I wish I had the same luck with our fruit. We have good melons and blueberries but I have never seen peaches and apple trees like those I saw in western Mass at my stepfather's this trip, and now, in words on your blog. Who knew that Mass. bore such great fruit? I should have... Enjoy!

Frogcreek said...

Mmmm. I can't wait till I have something of ours to can! We planted a bunch of fruit trees, but they are so young. I have a couple of years before we get our own sunshine. What a treat!

Anonymous said...

The information here is great. I will invite my friends here.

Thanks