Harvesting the fruits, watching nature do its work

With the fruits in our garden ripening, we are enjoying some special moments. Over the last few months we have watched those lovely white blossom flowers on our fruit trees turn into tiny green pills, and consequently see them growing into pears, apples and lemons. It has been interesting to watch nature doing its work. Now some of the fruits are ready to be picked and we have many volunteers for this, including our resident blackbirds!

“I cut some pears of the tree. I put them in the fruit bowl. I cut four. They tasted like fresh juicy ones. I only cut the red blushed ones. The one with the red blushes on them. They looked like ordinary pears. It didn’t have any colours, except for green and red, like the apples. The little ones don’t look ripe. I didn’t leave them on the tree because I thought the children may like to try them.” - by Gretchen (5 years)

Fruit picking is a great activity for children. First there is the practical reason for fruit picking: obtaining fresh fruit, straight from the tree. Then there is the fresh air, and sunshine to enjoy. And, naturally, fruit trees are a great source for nature study.

A fruit tree is a tree bearing fruit — the structures formed by the ripened ovary of a flower containing one or more seeds. Not all fruit trees produce fruit as human food. The scientific study and the cultivation of fruits is called pomology, which divides up fruits into groups based on plant morphology and anatomy. Some of those groups are: pome fruits, which include apples and pears. And stone fruits which include peaches, apricots, plums and cherries. Most fruit trees are deciduous trees and shed most of their leaves in autumn, providing the children with the fun of leaf raking (and jumping in a heap of leaves), as well as providing habitats for insects and other small creatures.

The fruit trees in our garden give us much joy. Not only do they provide some much needed shade on a hot sunny day, they also make a great place to visit for birds and insects. A fruit tree in full blossom is a beautiful sight. Although our fruit trees are still young and small, we are enjoying their presence as they provide a peaceful spot to sit under. Their emerging grandeur and majesty inspires us to take a moment of solitude when we can quietly observe the beautiful flowers around us or listen to the humming bees or rustling leaves in the wind. These observations often follow with a moment to ponder or dream, a moment many children today do not have in their busy scheduled lives.

Trees create a feeling of mystique and a great place for story sharing. We especially enjoy the Maori stories of Papatūānuku (earth mother). In the Māori world view, land gives birth to all things, including humankind, and provides the physical and spiritual basis for life. Papatūānuku, the land, is a powerful mother earth figure who gives many blessings to her children (Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand). In Maori view, Summer and Winter are personified in two beings named Hine-raumati, the Summer Maid, and Hine-takurua, the Winter Maid, both of them were taken to wife by Te Ra, the Sun. The Winter Maid dwells out on the ocean and controls the food supplies. The summer Maid dwells on the land, her task being to foster the food products of the Earth. This brings us to the best part of having fruit trees in our garden, the provision of a crop to eat.

Ganjitsu ya taijyu no moto no hito gokoro
"The First Day of the Year;
Under the protection of a big tree,
People's hearts are at rest."

- Haiku by Shirao Kaya (1738-1791)