Fresh From The Tree

Sometimes in the late spring I wish I was in Kansas where you could pick fresh peas and pair them with freshly-dug new potatoes in a creamy white sauce for the most delicious meal. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

In July I wish I was in Oregon like we were some fifteen or more years ago. We started each morning with freshly-picked raspberries so juicy they flooded our mouths with their tart-sweet flavor when we bit down on them. I can't tell you how many times we stopped at roadside fruit stands to restock our supply.

Or maybe in Michigan where we ate what had to be our weight in fresh cherries when we visited there. I think our fingers were stained a deep red from handling the pits...when we didn't just spit them like we did watermelon seeds when we were kids.

Kansas is tempting in late summer too when tomatoes are at their peak.The good ol' black dirt found there produces that perfectly-balanced, acid-y taste of real tomatoes, not the anemic things that pass for them here. If they're fresh from the vine, I might even be persuaded to peel them like Wayne's mom and grandmother always did.

But in late January I'm happy to be in Florida where I'm enjoying fresh-from-the-tree grapefruit.

A mutual friend has been supplying Dr. Dale and Carol with more grapefruit than they can eat so they sent a bagful my way and boy, are they ever good! Juicy and tart with just the right amount of underlying sweetness...a great addition to my morning routine. I'll occasionally pick up a grapefruit at the store this time of the year but there's just no substitute for having them come fresh from the tree.

I'm lucky to have neighbors who so generously share their bounty and I don't have to wish myself somewhere else to appreciate it. I'm going to enjoy it while it last as all things fresh never last for long.

Comments

[Diane Standish]

I love the Florida grapefruit and oranges I got from the kids in the local band...it is my little treat in the middle of winter...though today doesn't feel much like winter-it is 55 degrees her -has been for a couple days. So I am hoping the lilacs and forsythia don't think it's spring! Enjoying the break from the cold though...have a good one-love your posts!

[Suzeyq]

Grapefruit is a favorite of mine too! Can't even imagine fresh from the tree!