PEACHES, SEEDS, & LEGACIES

It has been great to be able to talk to so many like-minded people on steemit. People who share similar views, have similar passions, and have reached a similar understanding about certain things. Just the other day, I met a couple at work who I appreciated in this same way.

For those of you who saw my photo post of Zinnias and Butterflies, the people that I’m talking about now are the same ones who have that amazing patch of flowers in their yard. Besides the butterflies everywhere, they also had between twenty and thirty hummingbirds flying around the property, though they seemed to stick mostly to the sugar-water feeders. Besides the other interesting food plants that they had growing outside, they had a few patches of Peach trees in the yard that were all covered in fruit.

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Though I had asked no specific questions or made any direct comments pertaining to the peach trees, these generous folks chose to share some with us. They were in the process of cutting some up, and decided to bring some slices out for the guys and me. Personally, I had never seen a peach that looked like this before.

It had a dark, orange-brown skin, and the flesh inside was almost white, with a red border near the edge. The flavor was delicious and sweet, and the texture superb. As the man began to talk about these specific peaches, I was very blessed by what I heard.

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As the story goes, the man was originally from Illinois. His father once had some peach trees growing there, and when the man moved down to Missouri, he brought some seedlings with him. Now, more than thirty years later, he was still enjoying the offspring of the peach trees that he had once enjoyed at his father’s house. I’m not sure if this man’s father is still alive, but, based on his age, I would assume not. If such is the case, what sentimental value those peaches must hold for the man, and what a blessing for him to be able to enjoy that same fruit now, just like he once did so long ago with his father, in Illinois.

As if that wasn’t enough, the man and his wife said that they would save us the seeds from the ones that they were cutting up. The man said that his experience with planting the seeds was that they stayed “true to type”, so the fruit grown from the seedlings would be very similar to the fruit that the seed came from. I was overjoyed to hear the news. First of all, they were giving me free seeds for peach trees. Secondly, these were a very interesting type of peach that I had never encountered before. Also, the lady asked me how many were in my family, and sent six whole peaches home with me for the wife and kids. If you have followed my posts for any amount of time, I’m sure that it is obvious to you why I appreciated these folks so much. I'll be sending her some Chinese Noodle Bean seeds in the near future.

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As far as planting goes, the man said to just put them on the ground and cover them with a few inches of mulch this fall. Then, in the spring, I should have some peach seedlings sprout up. We will have to wait and see, but I will keep you posted.

Besides simply being able to enjoy the background about those peaches and potentially get some for myself, the experience also gave me a deeper appreciation for the lifestyle that our family is choosing to embrace. To live in a closer relationship with creation, and the soil, and the earth, and the animals is the path that we are on. There is something that feels so good and so right to pick a peach off of a tree or pull a carrot out of the soil. My wife and I are currently on a journey to set up a life and some land in a way that if our children choose to embrace that lifestyle when they grow up, it will be a lot easier for them to live it out. We will see what happens, and what the destination will look like, but we are certainly enjoying the journey, and appreciate the opportunity to share it with you.

This story reminds me of how something as simple as a type of fruit can have a lasting impact on a family and its members. I hope that I am able to pass on a lot more than that to my children.

Thanks, @papa-pepper

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