Aug 21 2013
Evolution
Or how to make the world’s most expensive peach pie!
First, you plant the peach tree:
Keep in mind that this simple statement includes:
- Getting your friend and neighbor to come over with his heavy machinery
- Scrobbling up all the brush and bushes
- Removing hundreds of rootballs by hand (the very definition of back-breaking labor)
- Buying truckloads of dirt
- Spreading out truckloads of dirt by hand
- Spreading hay all over the dirt and planting vetch so it won’t blow away
Easy, right? And this list does not include minor details like installing a drip system to keep the trees watered; installing and cementing heavy fence posts; deer fencing the entire operation; and rabbit fencing, another grovelly step done on hands and knees.
Once all that’s done, you just have to wait for the tree to bloom:
Fortuately, the strawberry plants at the tree’s feet bloom and fruit before the peach tree. This year, there was even a second crop of strawberries, so we had peaches and strawberries at the same time.
Finally, the tree begins to fruit:
And then the peaches are ready to be picked:
Megan and Jonathan made eight pounds of peaches into jam, with roasted almonds and lemon thyme. It is amazing!
I settled for making a pie with the remaining peaches:
It’s wonderful to pick fruit and make it into pie within an hour. It doesn’t get fresher than that!