First Fruits

The first of three apricots fell into M's hand on Friday, and then spent the day ripening on the table. We were patient, waiting until it had softened to cut it in half, carefully pare away the damaged spots, and devour it indulgently in the shadows of our kitchen. First Fruit! No sharing!

Maybe because our tree only made three fruit this year, or maybe because store bought fruit is just that bland, but our homegrown, sun-ripened mouthful packed quite the apricoty punch. Its flavor was much stronger than even dried apricots. We're looking forward to the last two fruits from this tree for this year, and next year's comparative bounty (we hope).

Our first plum is sitting on the counter by the rest of the apricots right now. I'm not as excited about it because, well, it's a plum and I have no special love for them. Perhaps this tree will change my mind, but I'm not holding my breath. By the end of the year we'll have harvested close to ten plums, a smattering of apples, and hopefully a few nectarines will mature past the hard as rocks stage.