Hello Farm Friends, The early, warm spring and extremely hot summer made for some additional challenges on the farm this year. However, the unusual temperatures also brought with them some exciting new nuts and fruits to My Dad & Me Family Farm.
A few years back, David and I planted an almond tree here at our Powder Springs farm.
Each year it boasts beautiful pink flowers only to be hit by the late season frosts. This year, we made the most glorious crop of fresh almonds. I had never tasted an almond fresh from the tree and I was surprised to find that they had so much more of a fresh almond punch of flavor. It was almost like someone had added almond extract to each bite. For approximately four years, we have waited for our kiwis to survive the "blackberry winter freeze." This
year, they fruited for the first time!
The "Hardy Kiwi" is a grape-sized kiwi with a smooth
skin. It can be eaten, skin and all, as you would a grape. Even though they are much smaller than their "hairy" counter parts, they are sweeter and grow prolifically here in the south. As they get older, vines will produce secondary fruiting flowers to offset late spring frost. This ensures some fruit even if the plant gets nipped back in the spring. Willie and I dearly love kiwi! Persimmons were another first here at the farm in 2016. I don't mean wild persimmons which are small and often times
stringent. I mean as big as apples and seedless. I picked a basket full of these tropical delights and they tasted like a cross between an apple, a pear, and wild persimmons but without the stringent, bitter aftertaste. I will definitely be planting more of these in the future!
Oftentimes, we get so caught up in the
frustration of the extremes that we miss the special benefits the Lord affords us when each year brings its own unique blessings. Thank you, Lord, for the abundance of fresh almonds, delicious kiwi, and delightful persimmons!
See you soon at the farm,
Daniel, Susan, & Anna David, Tina, Willie, & Ellie
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