As The Orchard Turns

[SCENE: Orchard. Dappled sunlight falls softly. Ripe fruit hangs on trees.]

DAD: Nectar?

NECTAR: Yes, dad.

DAD: Well, son, we have something to tell you. Mom and I have been thinking that it’s about time that you know where you came from?

NECTAR: We’re all Peaches, right dad?

DAD: Well. . .

MOM: Peter, you need to tell him.

DAD: Hold on Polly, I’m getting to it. Nectar, well you know how you’ve always wondered why all of us Peaches have fuzz, but you seem not to.

NECTAR: Mom said it was just because I had a baby face and I’d get fuzz soon.

DAD: Son, listen. Fuzz isn’t going to grow for you. You’re a Nectarine.

NECTAR: A Nectarine? But how? I’m your son, right?

DAD: Yes, you are, but you’re from a different tree. These things happen sometimes. A mommy tree and a daddy tree live close together, maybe they have a nice romantic evening, a little breeze kicks up, or perhaps some bees tickle their. . .

MOM: Peter – get to the point.

DAD: Well, Nectarines and Peaches are from the same family son – genetically we’re the same except that you have a recessive gene that popped up in our family over 2,000 years ago that makes your skin fuzz-less. Your grandpa was a Nectarine.

NECTAR: So he didn’t lose his fuzz in the great rootstock market crash?

DAD: No, son, he didn’t. Fuzz doesn’t come off that way.

NECTAR: But other Peaches are fuzz-less nowadays, dad.

DAD: True, there is a fashion that’s developed to brush peaches after harvest in order to take the fuzz off. It’s supposed to make peaches more palatable to the public.

[A hand reaches up into the tree and gently picks Nectar.]

NECTAR: Mom! Dad! I’m going to have to go now! I’m headed out into the world to find my place!

DAD: Good luck! And remember – don’t let anyone store you between 36 and 46 degrees or you’ll get mealy!

Where will Nectar’s journey take him? Will he unravel the Mystery of The Pit? Will he be cling, semi-cling, or freestone? Find out in the next installment of – As The Orchard Turns.

To meet your fruits and find out exactly what’s in your box by region, go to fruitguys.com and click on “In the Mix.”

Enjoy and be fruitful! – Chris Mittelstaedt chiefbanana@fruitguys.com