"Winter" Fruits

"Winter" and "Fruit" don't exactly go together in my northern upbringing, but here there is a whole array of tasty things to be found in the cooler months, and there is no need to go to the grocery store.  Over the months of July, August, and September, our wonderful maid, Loraine, brought us a variety of fruits she picked on the way to work. 

I really need to clarify this, because essentially, she was picking other people's fruit.  It bothered me a lot in the beginning, and it still does, but I have come to know it as common and acceptable.  In our town (in most neighborhoods), it is required to have a sidewalk and appropriately spaced trees planted along the roadside.  A lot of people plant fruit trees.  It's practical, really, if you must plant anyway, and they generally don't grow to an overwhelming size, so they are manageable long term.  Keep in mind that these trees are on the sidewalk, and outside of a person's gate or fence around their house.

It seems that every one helps themselves to whatever appeals to them, and though I have not taken other people's fruit myself, Loraine keeps us well supplied. 

Over the winter she brought these fun new fruits for us to try:

Loraine calls these "ameixa inverno" or winter plums. They are tiny (see spoon for scale), and have to be peeled. There are also several seeds clumped together in the middle. It's a lot of work for not a lot of fruit. But H loves them. She calls them "fruita," which means fruit, because Loraine always tells her (in Portuguese) "I brought you some fruita for your snack today." They come in sweet and sour varieties, and unless you planted the tree yourself, you don't know what kind you're picking until you try it.




 

We call these blackberries, and the name is pretty accurate, considering the color. They also taste very similar to a North American blackberry. However, one does not have to fight thorny bushes to enjoy these berries. The grow on trees! All over town!  All of the kids eat them, but especially the girls adore them.



 

There are plenty of things to report for spring fruits too, that I am anxious to share soon.  And summer is not far away.  Recently, Loraine told me it won't be long and I won't have to buy mangos anymore.  I know what she is getting at, the house next door has 4 trees loaded with tiny mangos.  It's far more than any household could dream of using, but I am not sure I'll be able to bring myself to "steal" them.  But maybe I won't have to.  It's on Loraine's walk to work.  Most likely, they'll end up on my kitchen counter daily.