All Cherries Aren’t “Cherry” Nice.

Although not a real orchard worker, I have worked on a few orchards doing casual work. Mostly fruit picking, even if only briefly. The briefest would have been one day, picking Grapes in Mildura. It was only ever going to be one day for which I was very grateful. For after 6 hours in the hot sun with a bent back, I could tell it was not an occupation I would like.

Since then I have picked apples, pears, nectarines, plums and a few lemons.

As well as that, for the first 28 years of my life my father had a fruit round and during that time for just under 3 years I had my own Green grocers shop, followed by another 6 years working in the fruit and veggie sections of Supermarkets. So much of my life I have been around fresh fruit one way or another and have a great appreciation of it.

As well I have also been around gardening most of my life and love that too, as a relaxation as much as anything.

Now despite these two great appreciations I have neve been attracted to the marriage of the two and growing Fruit trees for their fruit.

Apart from a couple of Feijoas at various places I can’t remember ever planting a fruit tree for myself, although I have planted a lot of peach and nectarine trees at one Orchard I worked at.

Me and fruit trees are only together if I move into a place that already has them, such as our new residence.

When we moved in, we found some grape vines along one side of the house and three fruit trees out the back. As they were dormient we had no idea what they were.

Watching them bud, flower and put out leaves and finally fruit, I was quickly able to identify the Apricot tree and a bit later the Plum tree from its fruit, but it took awhile to identify the final one.

Of all fruit, my all-time favourites would be Sultana Grapes (Known by some as Thompson’s Seedless) and big black cherries. And especially the Cherries because their season is so short.

So you can imagine my joy when I discovered the third tree was a cherry tree.

Recently I discovered that instead of being big and Black they were small and Red.

None the less I eagerly tried one, and was transported back in time to my childhood.

I don’t know if they were on the place when Grandfather bought it or whether he planted them but in my youth Dad had 5 or 6 small old Cherry trees in the back yard, and I still remember my first taste of them. It was the same as recently with those in our new back yard.

They were terrible. I won’t tell you the word my youngest used to describe the taste as you might wonder what we normally feed her. Lets just say both varieties are not eating varieties. MY father's were of the Jam making type and I suspect that that is all those in our back yard are good for too!

Isn’t that a bit like life? Whilst many things have the same name or of the same general type, they can be very, very different in reality and unless we are aware of this, we will be taken by surprise like I was with the taste of these cherries.

There is nothing really wrong with the Cherries other than that they are not the type I want. Sometime we don’t know or realize that there are different types of things like with the cherries, that are all suitable for their own specific purpose but not necessarily for our own desired purpose.

Now in my case there is nothing I can do as they belong to the Landlord. But if you are starting out to do something for the first time, do your homework first.

Don’t just rush out and buy the first "Cherry tree” or whatever you want, until you have checked out that it is the right type or variety for your need. For many things, like the Cherry tree, it will take many years of work and expense before you get your first fruit and you don’t want to waste all that time, effort and money on Jam Cherries when you want eating cherries or vice a versa, do you?

Before you rush into anything new check it all out very thoroughly and make sure you know as mush as possible or is needed to make the right choice.

Otherwise you may just have to live with the resulting problems and loose your investment.

Either that or make Cherry Jam! What say you?