Berried Alive

Has any of you ever wondered why we don't get to eat all of those exotic fruits like blackberries, blueberries, peaches, persimmons etc?? I hope you see the trend here.

While one could argue that we have our own set of fruits that are exotic, it pains me to point out that the fruits we eat most commonly are - bananas, apples, oranges. Apples and oranges grow in colder regions of the world, so that leaves us with things like Annona , Sapota and what have you. The vast majority is a hit and miss. Melons aren't always in season. Grapes are a pain to choose. You can't eat too many mangoes, or you'll fall sick. The supposed tropical fruits like Mangosteen , the dragon fruit (Duh! it's in the name people) or kiwis are actually pretty rare to find in local stores.  The closest I have come to seeing these regularly was in a vegetable/fruits store in Chennai of all places. (Imagine that, Chennai being good at something for a change. Those were a good couple of months I'll give you that). My spelling being what it is, I won't attempt to write the name down.

 I am, however, fascinated by berries. They are small, they are usually pleasantly sour/tangy, they look pretty, and most of the junk I eat generally has strawberry as a flavor ( yes, yes I know it isn't a REAL berry). I try buying blueberries whenever I find them and I buy strawberries whenever they are in season. I also buy unhealthy amounts of frozen yogurt with things like  "wild raspberry", "mulberry" written on them. Excess sugar be damned! (What on earth is WILD raspberry, aren't most fruits some random blessing from Pan anyway?)

And this got me thinking - why can't I have berries everyday? Why is this luxury restricted to fellow human beings in other parts of the globe? Surely , this land that I live in must also have something to tickle my tastes?

The answer was so obvious - Silk! Silkworms eat mulberry leaves, and millions of people buy silk. There were bound to be mulberry bushes close by.

It turns out the rhyme had it wrong - the mulberry is a tree. It fruits quite often and yes! It can grow in Bangalore!

I suggested this to my dad as a project. In general, I have found presenting any idea to my dad as a project results in him getting interested in it. (Maybe one day this will apply to him wanting pets too. Oh well) 

He was immediately on board! The only other person left to convince was my mom. She dislikes extra work (just like me) and having a tree growing in an apartment was bound to be more work. Our apple trees were stuck at about 3 feet in height for the last year, and they really didn't ask for much attention (apart from getting stolen, the divas).

In a complete 180, my dad decided to BUY a mulberry tree. He did not consult either of us, (of course someone had to arrange for its transport, and get the soil and other stuff ready - so yours truly was in on it). I distinctly remember my mother yelling at us the day before , saying we'll have her to deal with if she so much as saw one leaf. 

Needless to say when the tree arrived, my dad and I quickly potted it and let it hang out in the balcony. My mother didn't realize there was a tree until she saw the fruits ripening. Strangely she didn't seem too pissed off (I guess the promise of new fruits is an enticing option for everyone). And this dear reader, is how I got my first taste of mulberries, straight from my tree (yes, it's mine now).

 

It was everything I thought it would be! It was tart, sweet, and I picked it off the tree just when it was perfectly ripe - I did not have to deal with squished , bruised or damaged fruit! And the best part - my dad takes care of the tree!! I don't actually have to put in any effort at all!

After that , my dad went insane  my father decided to get more plants (He probably thought I would finally take some interest in growing / caring for things. Hehe). He began growing tomatoes, radishes, coriander  - all with varying levels of success. I grew mint. (This is because it's a weed, and doesn't actually need any care. You just throw it in some water and then move it to a pot. Done. All plants must be this easy to grow. Anything more than this is just consorting with the Devil.) I was mightily surprised to see any plant thrive at all, because I have this awesome super power of ruining pretty much anything that I cast my gaze upon (I can almost hear "Let her go" playing softly in the background).

 

The pièce de résistance that some of you might have already seen are the strawberries! Sadly while they look great, they taste so very sour 😧 I wish they tasted as good as they looked, but apparently getting strawberries to taste sweet is pretty hard. I sometimes get fleeting thoughts about how unfair it is to take credit for the hard work my dad puts into growing these. But these thoughts are fleeting, and I do generally tell everyone that it is he who grows them. He is the one with the magic in his hands!

 I wonder what's next? Would blackberries grow in Bangalore? Could they grow in an apartment? Why can't I find fresh raspberries? What is up with cranberries?

 Until next time,

DragonRider