Fruit Trees

Fruit trees have always been as much a part of our lives as water and air.

My memories of growing up always include fruit trees and some type of adventure. 

The apple, pear and plum attracted bees and wasps. I am allergic to both insects. Picking the ripe fruits without a trip to the doctor was my goal each year.

Orange and lemon have to be protected during the cold winters from freezing. There is one orange tree in our neighborhood that grows the most sour oranges ever. A lemon does not lock your jaw like these oranges do. I have been told the tree was bitten by the cold weather many years ago. We have not found a recipe yet where these oranges can be used. Even the animals will not eat them. People driving by will stop and ask to pick the oranges. We tell them they are welcome to all they want but we let them know how sour they are also. Most try one and leave without taking any with them. My brother was determined to find a way to use them one year. Many things was tried and a lot of sugar was used. His final decision was, "Harvest the oils in the peels for use in cleaning solutions. They should even be able to strip paint."

We always had a challenge trying to keep the birds from eating all the figs. Aluminum pie pans, rubber snakes, and owl decoys could be found in the fig trees as a way to scare the birds away. The rubber snakes would sometimes cause a heart to skip a beat as well. I think there was a contest to see who could find the most realistic looking snakes.

Pecan and black walnut are plentiful in our neighborhood. The squirrel population seems to explode in October when the pecans are ready to eat. There seems to be a contest as to who can get the most pecans, the squirrels or the humans. Come freezing weather when its safe to eat the squirrels, there is not one to be found.

We have decided to try our hand at growing some fruit trees. We planted some lemon seeds that we hope to transplant outside this spring.