Garden Babies

Growing up on the farm we had a lot of fruit trees: apple, pear and fig. We had a small grape arbor and tons of blackberries which were not exactly cultivated but hedges of them were tolerated. (We also had a stand of filbert trees...what everyone calls hazelnuts nowadays...but they were wormy and I don't remember ever eating them. They were fun to play with, though).

Living in the city it is a little more challenging to grow fruit in any quantity but I have my columnar apple tree (I forget what variety of apple it is...it's good for pies because it's not too sweet and has firm flesh) and my table grapes. I planted the grape stock our second year in the house and one in particular, "Vanessa" has done extremely well. 2 years ago I had so many grapes that I was able to make 6 pints of jelly (the most gorgeous pinky-lavendar color you ever saw with a delicate grapey-flavor) in addition to all the grapes we just ate out of hand. Last year, because I had that watering lapse, we got exactly 2 bunches of grapes. (Likewise, we only had 2 apples). I think that was when I realized how neglectful I'd been. I was very sad.


But, as is the way of nature, both the apple tree and grapevines have forgiven me. They are bursting with potential fruit and are greenly confident that I will not turn my back on them this year. They promise, if I care for them, to provide apples for the Autumnal Feast and plenty of grapes for jelly and winemaker's cake. I will not let them down.