03.04.20 Mormor's Yellow Guavas

She is the secret weapon, the secret sauce, the ace of spades, the trick up my sleeve, the big guns, the dark horse, the hidden advantage. She is also the kindest lady you will ever meet and Arugula Forest should be named after her because this blog is really is about Mormor’s* Garden. A few years back we merged households with my mom. It made good sense for all of us. We wanted to live in California and not be burdened by jobs we didn’t like to pay an insane mortgage. She was lonely and wanted to watch her granddaughters grow up. We absolutely got the best end of the deal. Mormor is our constant and consistent gardener. If she is the steady cruise liner, ever dependable, I am the impulsive helicopter pilot who dives in to stir things up. All in all, we make a good team. I have added a lot of permaculture inspired plots and ideas but none of them would have taken serious root were it not for the patient care given by Mormor following my flurry of enthusiasm.

While Mormor loves all of the fruit from our yard, she takes a special interest in the yellow guavas. I think it’s because they are not the most flavorful or sought after. In fact, with such stiff competition, they could be called the underdog of our backyard orchard. And, my mom always sides with the underdog.

She has found that the best way to gain appreciation for this forgotten fruit is to blend them with water and strain out the big seeds. From there, anyone can enjoy the pulpy juice in a smoothy, homemade ice-cream, a frothy cocktail, and the list goes on.

“Perhaps the reason I love gardening so much is it is slow and cyclical by nature. It allows one to get to know the plants and critters endemic to one’s surroundings and to appreciate the wonder that is nature.” -Mormor

*Mormor means grandmother or mother’s mother in Norwegien.