![\"2014](\"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/2014-June-Fun-Times-021.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe berry season is followed by the melons –\u00a0watermelon and cantaloupe – the perfect finish of every summer cookout.<\/p>\n And last, for us, are the\u00a0sun-bronzed peaches that drip sweet juice down your arm as you eat\u00a0them over the kitchen sink or without a plate outdoors.<\/p>\n Summer fruit can stand alone as clear\u00a0evidence of a\u00a0kind and loving Creator God.\u00a0 So much goodness is fruit in season. The Bible is full of references to fruit as gifts from God and as the outcome of lives yielded to God\u00a0(Psalm 1:1-6; Song of Solomon 2:3-5; Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:1-17; etc.)<\/p>\n I love all of these\u00a0fruits, but my favorite is the\u00a0cherry in its season.\u00a0Cherries are completely\u00a0perfect, right down to the seed pit which requires disposal, forcing us to slow down eating these lovelies,\u00a0or we would\u00a0eat them until they made us sick.<\/p>\n One of the leading national producers of cherries is Turkey, and we had the sweet opportunity of being there during cherry season one year. In the hotel where we stayed for a conference, the buffets offered huge bowls of cherries. We ate to our full every day that we were there, such that, just the memory of that culinary experience would be enough for us if it was all we would have of cherry season.<\/p>\n Still, at least once a\u00a0summer in the US, I pay the big bucks to buy cherries trucked to us from Washington State or California. And I remember that there are places in the world, where “bad” or blemished cherries are transformed into indescribably lovely juice\u00a0or cooked into pies for the pickers’ families who gathered them. Cherries\u00a0are grown for those able to afford them…and at least once or twice in the season, we are among them.<\/p>\n Summer fruit is remarkable, really. Short growing seasons. Heat. Drought.\u00a0Transport issues. We definitely should savor them (as we do) and not take them for granted.<\/p>\n The always-present fruit like bananas should cause us to be grateful as well. Bananas are not bound by a short season and they are enjoyed by most peoples of the world, not just the affluent. Still as I read about fruit, trying to raise this piece above just a love affair with food, I was struck by how the fruit that we just assume will always be in our supermarkets may actually not be. Not just related to drought, for instance, but also to disease. Bananas are no exception (see links below).<\/p>\n I am grateful for all these delicious fruits of someone’s summer – those we find locally, and those touched by hands across the globe to bring them to our market. I am thankful for the means to enjoy cherries and for those who did the work to bring these to our table.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/a>Why Do We Import Apples From Other Countries?<\/a><\/p>\n Michigan’s Cherry Festival<\/a><\/p>\n Turkey has Best Cherry Harvest of Last 20 Years<\/span> – FreshPlaza: Global Fresh Produce and Banana News\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Best Blueberry Muffins ever from YaYa – “I also add one teaspoon of cinnamon\u00a0& two teaspoons of vanilla and a few extra berries doesn’t hurt”<\/a><\/p>\n Import Duties, Internal Taxes, Local Production – Why We Had No Bananas in Tunisia in Early 1990’s<\/a><\/p>\n The Banana Trade War – Fruit, Economy, Society<\/a><\/p>\n How the Global Banana Industry is Killing the World\u2019s Favorite Fruit<\/a><\/p>\n Yes, We Have No Bananas<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At our house, there are almost always apples and bananas. They are the go-to snack for my husband (when he’s trying to be healthy). Well, there is\u00a0a brief period when\u00a0he says, “Don’t buy any more apples. They’re out of season.” He’s talking about Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples, his favorites. As the food shopper, I’m … Continue reading The Fruits of Summer…and Year-Round Deliciousness…Not to Be Taken For Granted<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Our Kids in Turkey – not in Cherry Season.<\/p>\n
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