Dreaming Of Fruit

I have just finished working for the day.  I had to bring my laptop down to our favorite cafe to work because the power on our block was turned off for a few hours.  Now that I'm done my mind immediately turns right back to its current obsession: what to plant in the garden this year.  I'm thinking about both perennials and annuals.  It is important to me to plan carefully what I grow because I don't have acres to plant and experiment.  I have a finite amount of space and I'd like it to supply us with food, plants for pollinators, culinary herbs, and medicinal herbs.

That's a lot of planning.  There are plants that cover three bases at once: elderberries, flowering medicinal herbs that are also culinary such as thyme, and fruiting perennials such as gooseberries.  Would you like to see my current list of must haves and put in your two cents or ask questions?  I knew you would!  Today I will just show you my list of perennial fruits.

Perennial fruits:

Elderberries- but should I plant the native varieties or European?  Which make better wine and preserves?  Which are a better medicinal?

Sour Cherries- trying to narrow my choices down to two, but wonder if I only need one?  If I only get one I will get Morello.  A beautiful naturally dwarfing tree.  The fruit is gorgeous and tasty.  They are self fruitful.

Peaches- all the commercial peach trees in this area are slowly being replaced by grapes.  I'm afraid that eventually there won't be any affordable local peaches.  Can I do without my peach jam and my canned plain peaches?  NO.  And...NO WAY.

Gooseberries- my friend Dominique served me gooseberries on crackers with a farmer's cheese drizzled with honey and I think about it more often than is seemly.  Gooseberries are not enjoying the same popularity here as they do in Europe.  You need two of them for best pollination.  But which two?  How to choose?

Hawthorne- My mother and I have discussed this a lot: trying to narrow down which herbs are specifically good for each of us in the family (nervines, heart plants, immune system plants) and if we could only have a few herbs in our own garden to promote the best health for ourselves which would they be?  Hawthorne is a fantastic and safe bush/tree whose different plant parts all have something to offer to heart health and other benefits as well. 

Lingonberries- high in vitamin C, likes my climate, would enhance the look of the monastery garden.  Produces very small tart red berries like currants.  Good for jams and syrups and sauces. 

Blueberries- well, this area is full of them but I think a fruit this good should grow in everyone's gardens who can grow them.  Fantastic antioxidant, great nutritional content.  I can eat these by the pint. 

Kiwi- I will try again this year.  Incredible source of vitamin C in the winter time.  I consider this the best alternative to citrus which we can't grow here without protection.  I will grow lemons but forget about oranges or tangerines!  They are ready to pick from the vines in late fall but ripen over the next month or two in storage.  Plus I happen to love them!

Table Grape- I plan to raid my friend Laurie's vines for cuttings this spring.  My boy loved her red grapes and ate tons of them while he could.  I also want to get a purple concord vine going.  For juice.  And those amazing Interlakens that Laurie had that made such amazing raisins.

Dog Rose- Very hard to find.  Anyone know of a reliable source?  Please don't be secretive.  I really want a dog rose.  The hips of the dog rose have the highest content of vitamin C of all rose hips tested.  Worth growing!

Oh there's more but that is my core list right now.  I see so many things I want to grow.  I'll list more of the things I'm thinking about for spring in the next couple of days.

Right this moment it's difficult to concentrate because a group of teens are playing a gorgeous song on the piano here in the cafe sending shivers up my spine.  I don't know what the song is but knowing my town it's probably some contemporary Jesus tune...OR...I did have a sneaking suspicion it may be an unplugged version of a Christina Aguillera song.  Hmmm.  I don't really care.  They keep playing it over and over- how did they know I just don't want them to ever stop?  I can listen to one song for hours at a time.  This is reminding me of my love of piano music. 

This music makes me wish I could get mine tuned so I could try playing again.  I love it.  I never played as well as the girl who is playing right now with her friends gathered around her.  They are all singing but too shyly I think. 

It's cold today but bright with an actual sun burning behind the fog and the chill.  I even see some patches of blue.  Gorgeous day.  It's my Friday but I don't get to drink beer.  Oh well.  Last night I sat in bed with a cup of tea and read the Heirloom Tomato book that my sister sent me for my birthday.  Mesmerizing me and making me dream of starting my own seeds this year.  I haven't done that in at least three years.  The recipes in it are mouth watering enough to make me almost wish it was summer.  I said ALMOST.  I get lost in books about vegetables.  I don't read many novels these days.  It's much more likely that you'll find me poring through my cookbooks, herbal books, or garden books. 

Well, I'm going to pack up and visit my friend Angela for another lesson on using my new blog.  Just as soon as I can tear myself away from this music.