The apple is my favorite of Pollan’s examples — a tree that in its native habitat in Kazakhstan grows to a height of sixty feet, and produces fruits of all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Only a few of these native trees produce edible fruit.  Seeds of these trees went east and west thousands of years ago, where they were bred by farmers to produce reliable crops of fruit — primarily for use making cider, but some for eating, too.  Apple trees freely cross breed, and the seeds of every fruit on a single tree produce a genetically different offspring.  This guaranteed the apple’s ability to thrive in climates all over the world, but made domestication a challenge.  The Chinese invented the art of grafting — cloning — fruitwood from a desirable tree onto a rootstock well-adapted to the particular area.

 The combination of the apple’s appeal to humans as a source of food and liquor, and its natural ability to adapt to new climates and geography, has basically assured its spread over the world.  Few trees are planted in so many countries, and in such large numbers.  The apple “forests” of the world, although not “natural”, are vast.  And while these forest/orchards appear to be controlled by humans — and are increasingly homogenized into four or five commercial varieties, the apples have a backup plan.  The trees continue, despite all efforts to control them, to produce fruit and seeds that contain the genetic material to produce whole forests of new, wild, and diverse apple trees — many with no appeal to human beings whatsoever.  If a plague wiped out all human life tomorrow, these standardized apple orchards would slowly, gradually change into wild forests as each years’ apples fell on the ground, their seeds sprouted, and the new trees eventually grew to tower over their domesticated parents.  Wild.  And the next species of intelligent life to arrive on Earth would have no way of knowing that these vast forests were aided in their spread by another, extinct species.

 Of course, for every apple tree there is a bell pepper.  What I mean by that is not all the plant species humans have domesticated stand much of a chance of surviving on their own, without our intervention.  Bell peppers, carrots, and peach trees are examples of truly pathetic plants that cannot compete with the most innocuous of weeds or pests.  The pesticide and fertilizer companies might have invented them for how much help they need.

 BUT REALLY FOLKS…
While I enjoyed Pollan’s book, I can’t say his thesis came as a surprise to me.  As many gardeners come to know (although some never do), the plants are always in control.  They tell you when to plant them, when to water, when to harvest — and if you ignore them or try to thwart them, they simply die.  They never let you forget that although they are above you in the grand scheme of things, Mother Nature is their boss, and there’s no point in messing with her.  Now if you’ll excuse me, the tomatoes in the greenhouse are demanding that I start getting their field ready for them…

FRUIT& NUT OPTION
Existing subscribers who are looking to augment the amount of fruit (now mostly citrus) and nuts they receive can get a box of just these items by emailing Valerie at Goldenbell@aol.com.  Order a month at a time, at $12 per week.  Over the next two months, you will get mandarins, navel oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, kiwi, pistachios, and walnuts.

IN YOUR BOXES
 A nice mid-winter break in the weather is giving us the chance to plant this week:  salad greens, spinach, peas and other crucial spring crops.  A good thing, since our overwintered fields of these crops are on their last legs.  The same weather is giving us a chance to harvest another batch of our fall planted potatoes, just as we are using the last of the ones we dug in December.  We hope you are enjoying the abundance of fresh spuds this winter  — as opposed to those harvested in late summer and stored for many months.

 It’s been a couple of months, so we’re sending out a half pound bag of Walnuts in today’ s boxes.  While they aren’t necessarily a snack food like pistachios, they are quite versatile in the kitchen and they keep well, to boot.  Baking is the traditional use for walnuts, but most people are discovering how great they are in salads and pasta as well.  I find that toasting them in a skillet until light brown removes much of the tannin flavor that some people associate with walnuts, and brings out their natural sweetness.

 It’s a tough winter for vegetables, and so we’re getting a little help from our friends… An unusual treat in today’s boxes comes to you today courtesy of our friends at CCOF certified Riverdog Farm.  Celery root, or celeriac, is a type of celery that has been bred to produce a large root and a smaller, inedible plant.  It’s a root vegetable with a texture like potatoes but with a mild celery flavor -— two vegetables in one.   If you like it, let us know, and we’ll some next year.

 Oroblanco Grapefruit in today’s boxes are another wonderful variety of citrus from our newest orchard, which is not yet organic.  Like the Melogolds, they are a cross between a yellow grapefruit and a supermild Pommelo.  Some may have a surprisingly thick rind.  But the flavor is sweet, mild and fragrant.

Thanks,            Pablito