Family Trees

Some traditions grow leaves, blossoms – and lots of fruit

Walking along the ripening display of plenty at this time of year brings back childhood memories. They are of my grandparents regularly discussing the state of the fruit crop as the summer drew to a close. How many fruits to count and how ripe they were, the condition of the trees, whether the insects on them were good or bad… . And then, at some point, they would go down to the cellar to check for the right number of empty jars and intact rubber rings to match their observations.

When the day came, the ripe fruits were first plucked and collected, then peeled, cut, ‘boiled in’ (that’s what those rubber rings are famous for – they perfectly seal the glass jar), and made into preserves. Anything that was not so pretty was made into jam and fruit pulp – also put into jars, but the usual ones with lids that already had the ring in them. The rest was put on cakes. Or it was made into ‘Rote Grütze’ – a northern specialty (only we put in whole fruits – especially berries).

It was a very busy time, but also very exciting, because of course there was always a lot of work to do together – and the most delicious food. My grandmother made a point of saying that when you cook in food and preserve it, there has to be testing, of course.

But the fruit harvest did not begin when the fruit itself appeared. It began earlier in the year, in the spring, when my grandfather would wrap the fruit trees along the driveway with strips of sticky paper – to get a head start on the legions of ants and other perpetrators with more than four legs that would begin storming the upper tree regions in late March and early April. You needed pretty long strips of sticky paper, because those apple and pear trees were as tall as the house. He also tended to all kinds of plum trees and forests of berry bushes in the back yard. Some of those fruits in that garden are just beginning to come back today because they are very resilient. And they are very tasty, even though they may not look as pretty as the more common ones today.

My grandfather also made it an early habit to check the number of blossoms on the trees. If there were too many, he would cut some off with a special pair of scissors. My mother later explained to me, when I asked as a child, that sometimes you have to help the trees, not only to get a good crop, but to prevent damage from a load of fruit that is simply too much for the plant.

We still have descendants of those old fruit trees and bushes from my grandparents’ garden in gardens all over the family – and on our balcony. These fruit trees and bushes – some of them original – have been with us for at least six generations (my great-grandfather – a passionate amateur gardener – planted them and got the plants from his in-laws who had a farm down the road).

I think my great-grandfather started a wonderful thing when he planted those bushes and trees. Because now, when I look at a freshly baked fruitcake or eat a spoonful of that famous ‘Rote Grütze’, all those stories come back to life. And everyone around us becomes a part of the great love my family has been putting into those plants for all these years.

Anything that was not so pretty was made into jam and fruit pulp. The rest was put on cakes.

Side Notes:

• We are still passing on my great-grandfather’s knowledge of fruit trees and bushes to the next generation. For those of you who do not yet have this knowledge: Read up, take classes, and most importantly, show and share what you have learned. Not just online, but over fresh bread with homemade jam or a delicious cake made from leftover fruit (see the recipes for [‘Golden Goose Berry Jam‘], [‘California Jam‘] and [‘Covered Cake‘]. This is the time of year for that.