Backyard Banana Tree

It’s great that the weather in California is warm enough for the banana plant to thrive.

I was very pleased when I noticed that the banana tree in the backyard was bearing fruits. We did have banana trees in my childhood home in Asia, but I never really bothered to see how the fruit grew.

So this time around, it was very interesting to watch the process. The cone-shaped piece at the bottom of the bunch of bananas is actually a delicacy in Malay cooking. It is know as jantung pisang, literally means the heart of the banana. It is usually cooked in a coconut milk based curry/gravy.

The ripened fruit has a firmer texture and a creamier flavor than the store-bought ones.

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Orange Tree #2

Added a fun touch to the tree: two feathered creatures from the crafts store.

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Orange Tree #1

The backyard orange trees harvest is a little early this year.

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Art/Reality

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Harvest

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From Tree to Breakfast

Navel oranges from my backyard tree.

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The Mystery Tree

The tree needs little maintenance.

The first fruit harvested – always an exciting experience.

 

When we first bought the small tree, we thought it was a lemon tree.

I planted it in a big pot. But it didn’t do well at all. So I managed to find a space in the backyard and plant it in the ground. Over the years, it grew fast, but nothing, no fruit.

Just I was standing there contemplating if we had here a non-fruit-bearing tree, I noticed a green bud peeking between the leaves.

The bud grew…and grew. I was baffled. Till I figured out that it wasn’t a lemon, but a grapefruit. It turned out to be a yellow grapefruit, sometimes also known as white grapefruit. The flesh has a translucent white color, and it has a brisk-sour taste. The first fruit harvested recently measures about 6 inches in both width and length.

And it looks like the tree has found its rhythm, after revealing its mystery. There are at least five more fruits and buds on its branches, waiting for the sun and for time to ripen them.

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Sunshine Fruit

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Citrus Harvest

It's a great feeling to pluck the oranges from my backyard.

It’s been a good harvest: from my two orange trees. The California Navel orange and the Valencia orange trees yielded enough fruits to share with friends and family.

The general consensus from those who sampled them is that the oranges have a right blend of sweet and sour notes. It is indeed a good feeling to nurture something from the earth.

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