“Last week I got mad at some trees in my yard because they were being knotty.”
—The G.O.P.
After 40-plus years as a nutrition researcher and educator, I have clearly determined that fresh fruit is loved by nearly all human beings. While I feel that we humans have evolved to consume far more starches than fruit, consuming a moderate amount of fruit is still very important to human health. Some folks object to eating fruit because they say it is expensive. To this, I say, “Plant a fruit tree in your yard or your neighborhood and enjoy free food!”
FRUIT FOR FREE
When I was a kid back in the 1950s, fruit was a treat and we ate fruit regularly. Yes, candy and sugary soft drinks were gaining popularity, but fruit was the main way we satisfied our sweet tooth. To keep our family fed, we grew a variety of fruit in our small backyard. We had a grape arbor, a peach tree, five cherry trees, a plum tree, a persimmon tree, and a garden with tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, and other vegetables. With a yard planted with so much food, you might say my folks moved the farm to the city! And because my parents planted so many fruit trees in our yard, as a kid I got to see firsthand where fruit came from and could enjoy it freshly picked from a tree by me for free. Unfortunately, you don’t see fruit trees in many people’s yards anymore.
PLANT A FRUIT TREE TO BOOST YOUR HEALTH
Fruit can be the ideal food for flushing your system of toxic waste. Fruit is also an ideal food for supplying your body with water, potassium, alkaline minerals, vitamin C, and natural sugar to fuel your cells. If you have a yard, have access to a yard, or have relatives with a yard, you can plant fruit trees and eat for free from the produce it yields annually. It is fun to plant fruit trees. If you live in the subtropics as I do here in South Florida, you can plant any fruit varieties, including tropical fruits, such as avocado, papaya, bananas, and mangos. If you live further away from the tropical zone where it gets cold every winter, you can still plant fruit trees that are hardy to that climate, such as apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, and cherries.
BUY ORGANIC, GROW ORGANIC
When planting your yard with fruit trees (and other edible plants), buy organic plants and seeds and grow your food organically, without chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Use compost and manure to nourish the plants. Watching your trees and garden grow is fun for you and the whole family. And because you are using organic farming methods, you don’t have to worry about poisoning yourself (your mate or your kids if you have a family) or the environment.
Peace and love
—The G.O.P.
