Fruity and delicious

On Thursday I did something a little crazy. Okay, it's not that crazy, and it really started before Thursday.

Last week I bought a bag of tangelos. They're pretty good, but not as tart as I like my citrus. So far, I've only eaten one and juiced one for a sauce. Slightly disappointed, they remain on my kitchen cart looking lovely and round in their orange mesh bag.

Wednesday, I decided I needed something more satisfying, so I bought a pineapple and the last organic pink lady in the store.

The next day, while at the store, I saw a great deal on grapefruits and minneolas, which are both favorites, so of course I had to pick those up, too. I also bought four or five more pink ladies and four organic bananas (I find bananas repulsive, but find that I feel better as a result of eating them).

And then I realized that I live alone and that I don't need to eat only fruit for the next week. Maybe I was just subconsciously celebrating Tu B'Shvat!

For those of you who don't know, Tu B'Shvat is the Jewish celebration of trees, specifically fruit trees. If you've ever been to Israel, it's like fruit tree heaven.

December 2006/January 2007 I was in Israel and bore witness to the overwhelming amount of fruit trees. There are grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime and pommelo trees lining the winding drive to Ben Gurion Airport. Every home and apartment building has fruit trees. The streets are lined with olive and almond trees.

I even saw a landscaping crew dragging a tarp loaded with fruit that had fallen in someone's yard to the curb. The bounty is everywhere, but it is seemingly invisible to the residents.

Here in Nashville there are cherry trees lining one street on the east side of town. The fruit of the pervasive hackberry trees is actually sweet, like dates. I've tasted persimmons shaken loose from one of the trees at Long Hungry Creek Farm (which also supplies my farm share and keeps me in veggies year round). There are blackberry bushes in Shelby Park, and I'm sure my forager friend could tell me all of the things I could eat from my lawn that I think are just weeds.

The point is, there is food everywhere, and we should all be able to access it. We should all be able to plant a garden, share with our friends and neighbors, grow enough to supplement what we can't.

One of my greatest joys is using the canned goods I put up over the summer. Each time I open a jar of jam or tomato sauce I think of the heat and sweat and time on my feet in front of the counter, juices dripping down my arms, seeds and skins piled in a bowl, waiting to be chucked into the compost. I savor those dishes. I eat every last bite. I don't want to waste the hours of energy I put into those jars, the planning and forethought, the late nights simmering sauces, the scalded fingertips from screwing on the lids.

Despite the time I spend making meals, making ingredients for meals, I simply enjoy food. I also think it is important to know where your food is from, who is growing it, and what your body needs.

Apparently, my body needs a LOT of fruit salad.