Guava and Cactus - Fruits and Veggies Monday
Fruit Only Today
Today, I am going to take you with me to a meeting of the California Rare Fruit Growers in San Diego. I am a board member of this nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about growing fruit.
The club started almost 50 years ago with friends getting together in each other backyard's and sharing their successes and failures.
And of course, the seeds, plants, scion wood and the delicious fruit they were and are growing.
I have the pleasure to know some of the founding members and their gardens are truly remarkable.
50 years ago the world was a different place. No internet to search for information or to order just about anything one can think off from anywhere in the world.
It was the pioneer gardeners who traveled to Peru or to Colombia and brought back (probably smuggled) for example Cherimoya seeds. They planted them and kept records. And they shared that information first one on one, writing letters to each other. Later, they started a newsletter which my friend Alice remembers to hand-feed through a Mimeograph machine which left them with dirty hands.
They worked hard to learn more and more and compiled an encyclopedia of their collective knowledge known as the CRFG Fruit Facts. Here is an example what you can find out about Cherimoyas in the Fruitfacts
My Cherimoyas are not producing yet, but my guavas sure are.
I brought them to the meeting. After we listen to a speaker educating us from the proper planting techniques to pest control to species-specific care, we want to eat. Wouldn't you?
Someone else brought guavas as well. There are so many different varieties. From the outside, they pretty much look the same. Not so when cut - as you can see.
One of our members brought this delicious prickly pear cactus fruit. I love to eat cactus! But I am not fond of fixing it. Even the fruit can have little stickies which can get you good.
I always use tongs when handling cactus! (If you read my last nopales blog post - insider joke. I almost made the same mistake again lol)
The Fuji persimmons are delicious and are one of my favorite fall fruits. I don't have a tree in my yard yet and am so glad that many others had a bumper crop this year. You can eat them crunchy like an apple or wait until they are soft like pudding. Both ways - delicious!!
Since CRFG is a volunteer organization and volunteers are hard to come by this day and age, we haven't had a refreshment person for a couple of years. So, we never know if anybody is bringing anything and we, the board members, are doing our best to have at least something on the table.
We try to find some unusual fruit to introduce to our members. Believe it or not but grapes fall into that category. Lately, so many new varieties have come to the markets and most are impossible to grow for the home grower. They are patented and under heavy guard.
These grapes fit that bill
Hope that you all are hungry now and will have some of this delicious fruit. We don't want it to get bad!
Do you have a gardening club in your area? And do you grow fruit as well? Which is your favorite to grow and/or eat?
All images are my own unless otherwise cited.
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Your fruit does not look normal to me, What I know about guava is green in color, your grapes is longer in shape not the usual I can see or buy in the supermarkets But your persimmons looks great. Love your post.
hahaha - that is why they are called rare fruit lol. there are lots and lots of varieties of guavas in the world - and some are green. and the grape is a brand new variety. First time in the markets this year.
Thank you for stopping by.
hmm, indeed am hungry, i love fruits, it helps in digestion of food , like to see more of this on your post. keep it up is lovely, am new in steemit just a few day old, will like to learn more from you, thanks.
Thank you!! Welcome to steemit :)
Thanks
Absolutely mind blowing story and delightful unique fruits. I was born about 50 years ago, so I can relate to life without internet, which I am actively using only last 10 years. Prior to that, we had only one computer in the house occupied primarily by my daughters especially the younger one lol.
It's seems like an ancient history, yet it is really not so long ago. Your story really made me think how much time, effort and passion made this club what it is today. You are literally bearing the fruits of your labour.
Thank you my Dear Marianne for this beautiful and educational entry 🌸💖🌸
Thank you!! You put a lot of love into this Monday Challenge :)
You are most welcome Marienne ............it is give and recieve love XOXO
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR WELL DESERVED PRIZE
Thank you so much!!!
This is such a refreshing post! I love guavas and grapes but this variety of grapes is quite a unique and new one for me. WE don't have it here in Pakistan. We have green grapes and purple ones too but the purple ones are round and not oval like the ones in this post. Do they taste sweet or sour or something in the middle? Persimmon is nice but I can't eat more than one bite of it cos it really dries up my mouth. My mother loves it though. She freezes a few and then eats them super-chilled haha
this is a brand new variety and it will be a while until it makes its way around the world.
Even the Fuju persimmons make your mouth go dry?
Oh sounds interesting. Yes, the fuyu (fuju) persimmon is the variety available in Pakistan and thats the one that makes my mouth go really dry.
Oh, I love those!!!!
So nice to see yummy fruits and i like to eat guava and grapes lot. Thanks for sharing have a nice day
Thank you so much!! I love to eat them too :)
This looks so yummy and healthy! :)
It was. And it was gone in no time :)
I believe that! :)
That fruit looks really yummy. I need to expand my fruit tastes after reading this I'm so bland just eating bananas, apples, and oranges lol.
For sure! There are so many different fruit in this world. But still, best to eat what is in season and in your area.
I have never tried a cactus fruit yet! I need to add it to my "fruit bucket list" now :D thanks for sharing!
It's delicious!! let me know if you try them :)