Gosh, we are so fortunate to be living here surrounded by beautiful nature, amazing weather, lush green farms, and a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables available all year round. And in Santa Clara Valley we are even more fortunate to have the most fertile land available that it is no wonder that this area used to be called The Valley of Hearts Delight, especially given that this area was covered in fruit orchards before it became Silicon Valley. The new Silicon Valley hasn’t gotten away from its roots though, for every home in our area seems to have some fruit tree or another. I should know! Almost everyone I know has fruit trees in their garden.
Any fruit one can grow my friends are growing in their gardens, and I have been the happy recipient of many of these homegrown fruits and veggies. At my friend Swati’s home she has peaches, plums, cherries, apples, oranges and lemon trees. At my friend Veena’s garden she has all these fruit trees, plus figs, pears, persimmon and Asian pear trees. My friend Basanthi has in her little back yard peaches, apricots, and persimmon and pomegranate trees. My friend Devi has all the stone fruits, apple, plus giant fig trees. My friend Padmini just gave me apples from her back yard. Both friend Swati and Shalini have given me giant lemons from their garden. Even my gardener Bernardo has given me bags full of navel oranges from one of his client’s garden. You get the picture. It’s hard to forget that though we live in Silicon Valley, we are really living in The Valley of Hearts Delight.
In fact I found out from a local fellow blogger who has been living here all his life that it was tradition to pass on extra homegrown fruits and veggies to neighbors by just leaving a basket at their front door.
It is no surprise then that I should get a text from my friend Devi last week asking if I wanted apples from her garden. Of course I said Yes! Devi gave me a bag of over 50 apples and another bag for my friend Rose. She informed me that she had over 600 apples this year on her two little trees, with a bunch more waiting to be picked. It’s a good year for apples. Here are this Friday’s photos of homegrown apples.
For a bushel load of apple recipes from cakes, to soups, to salads, appetizers and more take a look at these apple-inspired recipes. Apple inspired recipes.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Old English Proverb
Happy Friday!