DOWN BY THE ORCHARD

IT SEEMS that in Puerco Rico, those into edible gardens, agriculture, sustainable and organic bags, fair commerce, are into ostracizing tendencies (think Free Masons) ignoring others with original, trend setting virtues, I do not. I go and read their blogs, more like pompous treatises with instructions to do this and that, but no imagination beyond their tropical noses or avaricious tendencies. Everything is GOSPEL like, particularly in the northwest region, where many of these luminaries reside. Some inhabit in other distant prairies. You can observe their aesthetic less gardens, family pictures, with wide, all teeth showing, strange smiles, stoned like ones. But no mention of GANJA ever surfaces, What the heck!

DOWN HERE in Santurce, some people know the issues, with gigantic
humility have the know how. After all, planting and propagating anything is a matter of practice, doing, observing, experimenting, taking notes,
getting references; not following written/verbal instructions from some self proclaimed holistic guru.

The orchard here is about grafted lemon and orange trees. The first gave
two crops of that versatile fruit in less than a year. I used them for juice, dressing, salads, marinating, sangrias and else. If you have children you could make some popsicle like cold treat for the summer days in plastic cups. Just make sure your lemon/water/sugar/honey mix is a little thicker than for just the drinking. Freeze it and voila...

The Valencia oranges are still there, riping as fast as a quadriplegic turtle.
The fruit color/texture of this grafted, tree feet tall tree, reminded some ugly, dark as a blood sausage, woman from the Environmental Quality Board, of PUMPKINS! I do not know about you, but I find very difficult to
comprehend how one can confuse a much bigger vegetable that grows
in a vine with a fruit in tree, just for that.

The Carica papaya tree is about 14', planted from seed. It reached that height in less than a year. There are four fruits already about six inches long and two around. A couple of lizards have moved permanently within the boundaries of its leaves. We greet in the mornings when irrigating and monitoring for insects.

The most recent inductee, acquired yesterday is a Malpighia emarginata or
Barbados cherry. It is a member of a very exclusive group in the collection. Those BOUGHT in nurseries, not even ten. This tree, is one of the most elegant for the symmetry of height/canopy in the tropics, even if there was no healthy and beautiful fruit bonus involved. It grows about 15', I have never
seen one taller than that. Resistant of heat and insects. A rare, great conversation piece in any collection.

Just like many fruit trees from seeds, I will have to wait many years to taste them, (Caricas the exception). However, its slow growth and beauty will allow your humble servant to enjoy it at length, without any absurd pruning.

There are aromatics in the garden also.. Oregano, Capsicum, Basil, Rosemary and Ginger. So far in this department, they all show resistance
to heat, salty breezes and diseases.

Almost forgot. In one of the aromatics/herb/ edible gardens, in far away
prairies you can go work under this damned sun/heat as a volunteer for lunch! Time to go humbly...