talking to trees

Someone recently compared me to a fig tree. I, of course, immediately thought of the strangler fig, but was reassured that that wasn't quite what she meant. This and the fact that many of our trees are raining fruit this week, has left me pondering trees.

I love trees. I love their size, their quiet, their enduring nature. I find myself thanking them for their fruits, their seeds, their shade, their wood, for feeding the mushrooms when they rot, for feeding the birds and insects throughout the year, for providing habitat, protection, nourishment. For their beauty.

I think it makes a difference. The Rose of Venezuela throws out incredible oblong seeds that are prized here on the farm. The seeds take a year to form in their pods and are expelled with a crack and twist - easy to miss, and the reason we have a grove of saplings forming around the mother tree rather than a line of potted seedlings in the nursery. The days I walk with the dogs I talk with the Rose of Venezuela. I ask her for her seeds, and always, always if I ask she reveals them one by one half hidden, half buried in the grass and leaf litter around her. Today I found 14, one after the other. Just for the asking. And the thanking.

Rose of Venezuela pods and flower:

I like fig trees.

trees

A nearby construction and hardware store has a large parking lot and in this parking lot stands a lone tree. The farmer and I have had conversations about this tree. I don't remember offhand what type of tree she is, she doesn't drop noticeable fruits or seeds, but she's a good size, maybe 12 metres tall with a fairly broad canopy. A handsome tree with nice spreading branches. She's slightly raised above ground level and there's a low wall around her to hold in her dirt. Her trunk is maybe 60 cm in diameter.

I wonder about this tree. She stands alone without interaction from other trees, her roots are bound somewhat under concrete which must reflect a lot of heat back on her underside leaves and branches. The rain that falls around her is taken off to drains and doesn't penetrate the soil around her. Vibration from passing cars and exhaust fumes must stress her.

But the farmer wonders differently. He sees that she has no competition from other trees, that she's free to grow as she likes, without the stress of reaching for light or dropping lower branches to conserve strength. Her roots are protected by the concrete and always cool. The rain that falls will get to her through drains but she'll never be waterlogged.

The tree looks good, she seems to be doing well. She makes a resting place, a point of shade for birds and insects in an otherwise barren area. She brings beauty to drabness.

We use trees for shade, decoration, camouflage in our urban and not so urban areas. They grace us with micro-environments of shade, protection, focal points of beauty and peace. Their green offers a resting place for our eyes in fields of gray; if we stop to listen we might hear the wind in their leaves or a bird or insect or squirrel in their branches. They offer habitat for smaller species of plants and animals. They show us what nature is. Next time you are driving along a freeway, or pulling into a parking lot for a big store or mall look for the trees there, and thank them.

Let's start a guerrilla composting campaign. Each time you see a tree in a parking lot drop some compost or vegetable scraps or leaf cuttings by it. Feed the trees!!!!

In looking for the photo I came across a couple of interesting sites on trees in parking lots. This one discusses the best trees to use (albeit for the southwestern US, but interesting nevertheless). This one discusses how best to maintain tree health in urban environments. And this one talks about the importance of trees for urban water systems. Happy browsing!

Planting trees again

We're back at the reforestation project. This will probably be the last planting time this year - next month begins the real rainy season on the pacific coast and it will be too much for the small trees we're planting. So we're finishing up this phase with three days planting around two natural springs.

Today we worked with a mix of forest and fruit trees. The fruit trees are planted along paths down to the main spring and close by the access road. It's really a beautiful piece of land, a hillside looking back towards mountains or out over the Gulf of Nicoya with the Pacific beyond. We're working with a good crew of Nicaraguans, all from the northern zone of Nicaragua. Nicas work in Costa Rica like Mexicans work in California - they do the work the nationals don't want to do. Working here they earn 3 - 5 times as much as they do at home, so they come for the jobs and send money home. I enjoy working with them, they are bright and motivated and easy going at the same time. I expect they like working with us too, we're not so 'normal' for gringos around here, but work just as much as they do, in other words we get our hands dirty and we clearly enjoy it. So the atmosphere is good with whistling or singing and laughing, and the trees get planted and they're happier for being placed by happy workers in beautiful spots.

We're planting for birds and animals too so our trees are chosen for their fruits or habitat potential. The land is hilly with gullies and we're trying to create a good mix of native trees, though there are some non natives thrown in for special reasons: mango, ylang-ylang, neem.

Today we planted Cenizaro, Cipres, Ron-ron, Cedro Amargo, Espavel, Guachipelin, Guanacaste, Aceituna, Carao. For fruit we planted Cas, Caimito, Carambola, Biriba, Agua de Manzana, Calamondin and Mango. It was fun.

There's something special about planting a tree, and something even more delightful about planting a forest. Standing at the edge of a slope looking down with a bag of 10 to 14 trees (the forest trees are small when we plant them) and a clear expanse of sky above and green below, one has to imagine how the land will look in 5, 10, 15, 30 years time. Where to put the smaller cipres, or the fine leafy ron ron or the huge and majestic guanacaste. How will the monkeys come from the forests on the mountain to this part by the spring, what trees will make the best canopy for their path? How will the macaws pass from this already towering espavel to a new cluster of almendros? It's all interesting and joyful work.



the majestic Guanacaste

The process is simple: we lay out each tree, mark it, plant it, stake it and mulch it. Simple, repetitive, logical work. Beautiful. We checked the trees we planted in June and they look great and happy. I would be too planted here: sun, cool mists, nice showers, peace and quiet and fine company (and a great view - d'you think this makes a difference to a tree?).

. . . and I'm back

Been offline for a bit with family visiting. Out of the kitchen, off the farm and into the big world of children on vacation. Phew, my respect to all mothers. This Sunday is Mothers' Day in Costa Rica and I wish all of you who have taken on the enormous task a happy, peaceful and sane day.

But now it's back to the farm, my beloved kitchen and all those lovely things I get to do with my days. Araza and Ginger cookies are in the oven, some Carambola sweet and sour sauce is setting up and I'm waiting for the limes to arrive. The weather has been very wet for the last two weeks (sorry visiting family members) and it's taken its toll on the forest. We have lost several large trees, and the farmer has been busy planting new ones. Amongst the forest trees he has planted a new curry tree, a champudeck and a jackfruit - yippee!!! There's something wonderfully settling about planting fruit trees, a soft anticipation of future wealth and abundance, a reminder that all good things come with time, a nod to the seasons and cycles of time. Storing up for the future means there is trust and faith that there will be a future, a time to come. And that that time will be full of fruit. Love it.

Back in the present our latest tree casualty is one of our key limes. A large branch sheared to the ground, laden with fruit. What to do? I can think of a couple of things . . .

I've been looking at lime marmalade recipes and have discovered several lovely blogs in the process:

Feeding Maybelle
Pastry Heaven
Through my Kitchen Window

I'm off to make a cup of tea and check on the cookies.