There is something very pleasing, in an earthy tree-hugger sort of way, about harvesting foodstuff right off of the source. It placates to the hunter-gatherer in all of us.
Most of us that is, as I have met a fair share of urbanites who are convinced that pineapples and peaches are grown in Whole Foods and PathMark rather then respective Hawaii and Georgia. [to name a few]
For the rest of us who actually appreciate nature's bounty, the idea of owning fruiting trees and a somewhat fertile patch of land is reminiscent of that distant past life when the adjacent village's senile witchdoctor first handed you seeds and told you to bury, water them, and........wait for the "spirit's" bounty.
When not home grown, some poor overworked migrant worker probably manhandled that banana you are about to deep throat, without giving a thought to what it takes to grow and get it to you before the brown spots begin to appear.
We've lost that one-on-one tactile relationship with Gaia somehow. Civilization's many perks such as the division of labor lend themselves to this ongoing disconnect. The majority of us have been submitted over generations to an ongoing capitalistic pop-value driven notion that labor specialization is the answer to society's woes.
Specialization is good, especially when you don't want a [hmmm...say] podiatrist hacking away at a growth near that special private place. Yet, society's needs for "specialized" labor grows with every technological and scientific advancemen and so to does the list of possible trades which have little if anything to do with the actual process of "putting food on the table."
I mean, can we honestly identify things like mango trees, banana plants, or onion shoots? No, didn't think so. How likely are we to sample items from the fruit and veggie isle if you were allowed? That's what I thought. Now, how likely are you to run across a tree out in a park, street or hiking trail, spot a berry on it and feel confident enough to identify its type, edibility and perhaps even take a bite? Just as I thought.
Did you know that the wild form of domesticated almond contains glycoside amygdalin, which transformed into deadly (hydrogen cyanide) when ingested or that untreated stored garlic runs the risk of supporting deadly botulism causing bacteria colonies?
[Now serving poisoned victim number 9,333...]
My point, more of an observation, is that we are out of touch with the knowledge that sustains us rather then the one which pays the $8.00 p/hr at the cubicle farm to cover the overpriced pomegranate which was genetically altered not to taste better but to look and sell better on aisle 2 which you will gladly pay for, oblivious to where and how it was grown or might look like outside of it's canned form.
I like to think myself an exception to that list. Grandpa was a farmer and can go on forever [ad nauseam] about the hundred-and-one uses of this plant or that one. The legacy continues with me, ad nauseam. I am quick to bore those unfortunate enough to be around me with tidbits of botanical facts every time I spot some medicinal "weed" growing through a sidewalk crack or something.
I think that between Cuba, grandpa, childhood backyards full of fruiting trees, Boy Scouts and being a plain-old aficionado of the natural, the love and interest for the lore was always instilled and now incidentally self motivating.
Now, how likely am I to run around harvesting plants and berries in the wild, when Whole Foods is right around the corner, is a completely different story but the knowledge is reassuring to posses should I ever be lost and starving in the backcountry or in need of boring a sidewalk companion to death.
Anyway...
This whole story is the result of my fig tree of abundance which is presently very ready to be picked but who the hell eats that many figs? They are good; I in fact just became recently familiar with them. They taste in my opinion like a cross between a kiwi and a strawberry but ENOUGH ALREADY!
The tree is bearing fruit faster then I can consume and they spoil rather quickly once harvested. I'm up to "here" with figs.....and grapes for that matter.
The natural wildlife in Astoria seems to think my backyard a food stop which is alright, except for the fact that they have no tableside manners. They are very messy eaters.
My terrace is littered daily with the ever so sticky and sweet scent of unwanted produce which annoying flies and stinging nipple-prone bees are in turn very attracted to.
[Note to self: Those damned sloppy rabid squirrels, must be made examples of.]
It is all enough to make you question the magic of nature and blind placement of faith on the bounty of aisle 2.
:Advanced Tekomanology:
-A makeshift fruit picker of my own design ingenuity.
