Welcome to My Mama's Garden
![Garden1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWxHBMib24oodtpjBbaLP455N6byjVh2UuKxRa8MUd8YN/Garden1.jpg)
We have a 300-square meter vacant lot beside our house. My dad bought the land along with the house he gave to my mother more than three decades ago. My mom, who grew up in the province, made use of that by planting all kinds of fruit-bearing trees. My siblings and I grew up climbing those trees. We had lots back then; Santol (cotton fruit), Guava, Atis (sweet sop), Balimbing (star fruit), Langka (jackfruit), and we even had Tambis (wax apple). But most of our playtime were spent high up the branches of our Mango trees because they grew the tallest. They were also the most accessible since they had a lot of huge branches that bent towards the ground.
Looking back, I'd say we were a very daring group of youngsters hanging out at the highest branches of our favorite Mango tree (We had 4 Mango trees at that time but this one had a lot of branches that accomodated all of us). I cringe at the thought of how careless we were when one summer, we even attached a DIY hammock to the branches and used that to swing away at 4 meters above the ground. It was that time when Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey was the biggest hit in the radio. I imagine this is how we thought it looked like.
It wasn't like that though. The DIY hammock was made of plastic sack which was "secured" by a nylon rope and we didn't have a body of water to catch us either. Pure solid earth was waiting 4 meters below us and I now shudder to think of the horrific ways we could have injured ourselves. But back then, we were oblivious and free from any cares in the world. Thankfully, those childhood memories are not tainted by uncanny accidents. A few scratches and bruises here and there but no broken bones or head injuries. Those summer days are the epitome of my youth and those gigantic trees were very much part of my wonderful childhood.
We still have some of those trees around. But most of them have been cut down to make room for our dogs and for other farm animals that my mom is raising. We have still have 3 mango trees standing and just last week, our household in Davao was buzzing with activity because of the Mango harvest. Below are some of the pictures my brother sent.
![garden5.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmX5XmWJtr19EoeVbuUv6v3p5tPrE23f25ggRy35i34bdt/garden5.jpg)
![garden6.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmc2AGZnE5MqVQDdEezsUzJwh1yhSQxPQojJXc2QBaTQEx/garden6.jpg)
![garden7.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXFPWYQA7meL75zqqWLGVFgW89yZcQJv8FqKvAawJGJjn/garden7.jpg)
![garden4.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmYCYfUJdNJACyzEtNJ8gnKHuZFRNxiYN4Wscv16MHw1ZZ/garden4.jpg)
Some of our neighbors bought the harvested mangoes, some were given to our relatives, and some were kept by my mom. Once they were ripe, she made Mango Float, a Filipino dessert that's made up of Graham crackers, milk, and ripe mangoes.
![mango1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTm1YB2qwP9LzDXCQHDtjqampuj7mFwP64y3mhaJSNBdX/mango1.jpg)
Aside from Mangoes, we still have the Rambutan tree too. The fruit, also called Rambutan is one of my favorite fruits. It is native to regions in Southeast Asia so some of you might not be too familiar with it but this is how they look like.
![garden9.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTp4BnMf5CsLm8oUrC2afZRdCUPaTJ5HEtdQ3gw4mYSb5/garden9.jpg)
We also still have the Atis (Sweet Sop) and the Star Fruit but the Santol (Cotton Fruit) tree has been taken down because the tree has become unstable. Since then, my mom used the freed space to house some chickens. She has a number of them that provide fresh eggs daily.
The freeed space also gave way to the dog houses of our four-legged family members. They used to stay in our garage or inside our house but when they got bigger, my mom decided it was time to give them their own place.
![garden11.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUnQgAuArynQrXybMTV7C7DXVrzerE85W8vZEeAcQG66a/garden11.jpg)
My mom grows vegetables in her garden too and turns them into delicious healthy meals. Vegetable plants have limited lifespan but she always, ALWAYS has siling labuyo or hot chilli in her garden.
![garden13.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmTwXbKuaKKzpXfXniJaSMTYmw98gk4aiXwvnEW614ZGt5/garden13.jpg)
These are some of the things that I look forward to whenever I visit Davao, aside from seeing my family. Some of my siblings have left our home in Davao too to pursue careers abroad but we all try to go home once a year. It is always an exciting time. We still have our differences but we are all very close. Now that we're older, my siblings and I prefer a more relaxed activity as opposed to tree climbing and we opt to just chill by Mama's garden.
![garden12.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbp6f1SkZVacZamcY2Da31Y3QiVPe9y2qrjtvK6mdXmqW/garden12.jpg)
Image Source
Mariah Carey
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WOW! Nice gardening! I enjoyed reading your story about your childhood! Really wonderful! I love to climb up the tree, too! It's very exciting experience indeed! We had three rose apple trees!
If I have more spaces, I would love to plant the rambutan and santol trees, too! My father used to have some chickens in the backyard of our house, too!
Your crackers look very delicious! Your dogs look healthy and very strong....
Oh! A lot of hot chilli in the garden!
Really great garden! Good job! ;)
Wow! I'm happy that you also had lots of trees to climb while you were growing up. Those were the best times of my childhood and I'm glad you had that too. =)
My mom says that it's not hard to make rambutan and santol grow so I'm sure you'll be able to do it should you find the space for it. We love hot chili! We always put chili in our soy sauce or fish sauce.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story, @tangmo! I am actually inspired to feature our country and my province because of how you write about Thailand in your blogs. Your love for your country is very inspiring. Thank you again! And enjoy the rest of the week my friend!
Yes, you're right! That's the best times of our childhood! ;)
I'm glad to know that it's not hard to make rambutan and santol grow! I do really hope to plant them very soon! I love hot chili; I usually put them in fish sauce, too!
I'm really happy to hear that my stories and my love for Thailand can inspire you to write. I look forward for more articles about your country and your provice with much interest! ;)
Me and my brothers used to climb our guava tree that gifted us many fruits. It was I think hacked by my father three times. I missed that tree, sometimes sit gives a huge fruit too.
Yes. Lovely memories, aren't they. Thank you for dropping by Arnold. Red and I will talk about visiting you one of these weekends. He has got so many things to do but we should be able to visit you before the month ends. You keeping the same number right?
Hi Ate @dandalion
Thank you for your support.
I just want to tell you that my medicine is working regarding my body pains but my face is still getting larger and maybe you would not be able to recognize me after a few months from now. But I feel good with just some loss of appetite from the side-effects of my medicine. I am thankful to God for all.
My cel number is still the same.
Wow. @dandalion, the fruits is very fresh ang delicious.
Thanks @zidanebibal! Yes, they're all delicious. Nothing beats freshly-picked fruits. Thank you for dropping by! =)
whoaa this is heaven sis!
Ang daming tanim ng mom mo.
tamis ng manggaa sarap yan!
Good memories, very touching story.
Wax apple, makopa ba yon sis?
gingoogle ko nde ko alam ang tambis
oo sis. makopa ata yun. hindi ko rin alam kung ano tagalog nun pero parang makopa nga. may iba't-ibang kulay yun eh. kadalasan yung pinkish na red tapos may puti then yung tanim ng mom ko green. =)
sarap tumambay naman dyan, sana makarating ako someday sa Davao
hug ko si tatay Digong:) dalaw ako sa inyo:) sis yong mga aso mukhang ayaw ng mga bisita hehehe
makopa nga sis yong pink na parang bell shape.
Ganda ng garden daming tanim. Katakam naman yung mangga. :D
Oo, ako rin natakam nung pinadala sakin yung pictures. hehehe. Thanks for dropping by, @zararina!
kung hindi lang tinamaan nang road widening ang aming area sus ang daming fruit bearing tress sa harap noon.
1 Durian tree
2 Rambutan
1 Santol
3 Lasones
1 bayabas (ung malaki)
from 800 sqm ngayon 500 sqm hahahah from national highway kasi hahahahah
Naku! sayang naman nung mga punong yun. Tatlong Lansones!!! Tsk tsk tsk. Pag road widening kasi talaga walang magagawa noh. Sana lang prinesyohan ng maayos ng gobyerno yung lupa ninyo. Di bale sir, maganda naman lupa natin sa Davao kaya I'm sure makakapatubo pa rin kayo. =)
ung lugar na yun kung san ako lumaki sa lola ko kasi un( side ng papa ko), umalis na kami after pumanaw si papa since 2011. kaya d ko na alam kung anung meron na dun hahhaha basta alam ko meron pang oldies durian at manga sa likod bahay. medyo nakakatakot dahil inaanay na ata...
yap mataba ang lupa natin dito.. buyag lang gyud! amping!
Your garden is very beautiful. And bigger. your mother is hello to me. very nice mango
Thank you, @ahlawat!
Upvote for the mangoes. The best yum! :D
What a nice garden!
“All the World’s Problems Can Be Solved in a Garden” Geoff Lawton
Thank you, @teamsteem!
And Amen to Geoff Lawton! 😊