The Asian (or nashi) pear, Pyrus pyrifolia.
I have five of them on my tree, and I need to harvest them soon - before the squirrels get to them. This will be my largest harvest - and the tree is now about 15' tall.
Many (most, all?) of the genomes of Vibrio spp. consist of two chromosomes. This is a bit unusual in the bacterial world - and the reading I have done today suggests that the smaller chromosome might have been, at some point in time, a plasmid or plasmid-like structure. Interestingly, the smaller chromosome seems to carry alot of the genes necessary for environmental adaptation - and is probably why these organisms are so adapted to (and competitive in) a wide range of halophilic environments. The genomic sequence of the coral pathogen, a Vibrio sp., that we are working with isn't far enough along in the assembly process to definitively state that it has two genomes (or for us to know the size of chromosome 1 vs 2 or the specific genes present on each of them) - but my curiousity is piqued.
(8:30 am 6 August 2008 update: An early morning email has confirmed that there are two chromosomes associated with the coral pathogen.)
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Pomegranate, Punica granatum.
I have two trees, both are about 10' tall and there is one decent-sized pomegranate on each - still mostly green, but showing streaks of red.
I've been thinking quite a bit, since my Mother's death, about mourning rituals. Grief. Sometimes I wish I had been given a full month to wear black and to fully focus on what is and has been a difficult loss. But instead we're told, quietly (or not so) to 'jump back into it' (which I have, to excess) as if keeping oneself busy is the secret to avoiding sadness (when perhaps, ultimately, the avoidance of sadness becomes the problem). This weekend I will help my Father choose a grave stone for my Mother - it is time to do this.
So the rituals that surround death - I find them interesting, and have perhaps been drawn to them in these few short months since my Mother's passing. Ever heard of koliva? I had never heard of it. It appears to be used in Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches - and is considered a ritual food composed mostly of boiled wheat. Seems that some folks add pomegranate to the soft wheat paste. The origin of koliva (from Wikipedia):
The origin of koliva predates Christianity. The word stems from the Ancient Greek kollyvo or κόλλυβo, which originally means cereal grain (also called "žito", or "wheat" in Bulgarian and Serbian). In the Ancient Greek panspermia, a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts were offered during the festival of the Anthesteria. In Greece, therefore, koliva is also called sperna, a term associated also with "sperm." The association between death and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva. The ritual food passed from paganism to early Christianity in Byzantium and subsequently spread to the entire Orthodox world.
Maybe a day spent wearing black and boiling wheat is in my future - once a pomegranate has ripen in my garden?
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American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana.
I have one tree, a not very tall one, at least yet -- but it's covered in beautiful green fruits. No hints of orange yet.
I didn't know about persimmon wood being valued, until I read this:
The persimmon, a timber that grows in the southern part of the US, is much lighter when compared to the typical ebony. Known also as common persimmon, the timber belongs to the ebony family Ebenaceae. Due to its high density and high crushing and bending strengths, the timber is commonly used in the manufacture of textile shuttles and golf club heads, and in a number of decorative applications. The fruit of the persimmon can also be used in baking puddings and other native delicacies.
Golf clubs, billiard cues, and longbows.
And then there's persimmon pudding...
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter melted
2 Cups persimmon pulp
1.5 Cups sugar
1.5 Cups milk ( regular milk or canned)
3 eggs
2 Cups flour
one medium sweet potato, grated
1 Cup coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bake in 300°F oven for one hour or until done. A broiler pan is a nice size to bake it in.
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Olive, Olea europea.
Mine isn't much to look at right now - it's quite small, maybe 18" tall. It sat quietly in it's spot for a few years, and just this year has shown signs of new growth - and I've heard sometimes this is the case: slow to start, then it decides to be happy, and it takes off. It has the chance of growing into a nice tree here - but few fruit locally (we are too humid) - however if one day, 1500 or so years from now, it decides to look like this, then how could I complain?
It would indeed be a lovely thing to do - to travel the world in search of old and ancient olive trees. Oh, truly, it would be lovely if my own olive tree was indeed happy - and grew another foot or two. Living does not always need to involve a search, does it?
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