One of the things I promised myself a year ago was that I would not shy away from taking photos of people doing interesting things. Yesterday I almost passed up the opportunity of discovering a heretofore unknown fruit AND missing out on the discovery of another one as well.
I was driving to the store when I passed this gentleman and his friend out in the front yard. A large white sheet was spread out beneath a tree and I thought, in passing, of how Old World the scene appeared to me. I didn't know WHAT old world but it was reminiscent of harvesting olives (ala Under the Tuscan Sun) and I had to find out what he was harvesting. So - I flipped a 180.
About the time I got out of my car to walk over with my camera, his wife was at the door, his friend was down the street and his daughter and son appeared from the side yard. I smiled my friendliest "I'm from the South" (which I'm not) smile.
I explained that I was driving by and was interested in what he was harvesting from the tree. He said they were called White Raspberries and he immediately popped one in his mouth and then handed me one. I popped it right in MY mouth and like the passing of a challenge, I was in; I had become an instant friend.
They were actually quite tasty and I picked up and consumed a few more on the spot. At this point, the daughter pointed out another tree filled with ripe fruit. At first glance, it looked like a smooth skin apricot and, in fact, has a very apricot like pit. The fruit itself was a tiny bit tart and was exquisitely juicy. Since I was wearing my new white t-shirt for the first time that day, you can bet I was immediately leaning outward from my waist working at avoiding some significant splatter. Mission accomplished.
They were actually quite tasty and I picked up and consumed a few more on the spot. At this point, the daughter pointed out another tree filled with ripe fruit. At first glance, it looked like a smooth skin apricot and, in fact, has a very apricot like pit. The fruit itself was a tiny bit tart and was exquisitely juicy. Since I was wearing my new white t-shirt for the first time that day, you can bet I was immediately leaning outward from my waist working at avoiding some significant splatter. Mission accomplished.
Alas, I heard but do not recall the name of the fruit. They put the small orange colored fruit tree in after they bought the house and said it was a fruit commonly used by Assyrians. That answered my private question about what Old World vision I was experiencing. We have a very large expat population of Assyrians in my area.
I asked if I could take some pictures and sure enough, they were happy to oblige. As I walked back to my car, his wife stepped outside, wave a good-bye to me, and we agreed that the jam she planned to make would be very good indeed.
However . . . the beauty of inspiration is that you can take something that appeals to you and reinvent it to make it your own. The possibilities of remaking this into my own are . . . well . . . endless and I have the simple pleasure of knowing that I don't have to spend a penny to recreate this. I already have an abundance of the materials I will need in my possession.
