Story of My little Apricot Tree

She began blooming on the South side of the tree on March 16^th, and the picture above was taken on March 25^th.

Now that I have introduced you to my little Apricot tree, allow me to tell you the amazing story that she has to share.

She had a companion tree planted about a year before she was. That tree grew big and tall, it must have been about 20 feet tall, as this little guy watched what happened one fateful day.

There is a parable in the bible that many people have no idea what it means. I however, have seen it in action on my own property and orchard. The passage of scripture is found in Luke 13:6-9.

⁶ And He told them this parable: A certain man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it, but did not find [any].

⁷ So he said to the vinedresser, See here! For these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue also to use up the ground [to ^[a]deplete the soil, intercept the sun, and take up room]?

⁸ But he replied to him, Leave it alone, sir, [just] this one more year, till I dig around it and put manure [on the soil].

⁹ Then perhaps it will bear fruit after this; but if not, you can cut it down and out.

As I told you, the companion apricot tree was big and strong, and produced loads of blossoms, and then the leave would appear as they should, and not a piece of fruit could be found on this beautiful tree. As I stood and stared at the tree one winter, I remembered the scripture in Luke about the gardener crying out to the landlord… “Please sir, let me dig it and dung it, and see what happens.”

Because I was tired of watching this tree making this awesome display, with nothing to show for it each year, that is exactly what I did. I dug up the ground around it, and fertilized it. I dug it and dunged it! However, when the next year came around, and still there were no apricots on the tree, the tree was history!

This little tree watched as I chopped her companion tree down to the ground. She watched as I dug and dunged her and her companion, and then watched as her companion was Cut Down!

Each year since her companion was cut down; this little tree has produced the prettiest apricots, in several different harvests a couple of weeks apart. This give me plenty of time to sell or put up the harvest each year.

This little apricot tree is not wasting the ground that she was planted in, question she asks is, are you?

I was funny when I was doing my research for this fruit. I found that there really isn’t that much information about apricots. One reason I believe is that old world origins might have something to do with that.

Old World Origins:

It’s funny how even in the age of the internet; one must still find a book for some answers. Such was the case while I was trying to find out where apricots originated from. Information about the lineage of my little Apricot’s journey to Texas was found in a book titled: The Ongoing Columbian Exchange: Stories about Biological and Economic Transfer by Christopher Cumo.

While many throughout the generations misguidedly thought that apricots originated in Syria, much to my delight I discovered that it the apricot tree originated in the Great Hinggan Mountain regions of China.

High in the Greater Hinggan Mountains from northern Mohe of Heilongjiang Province to the southern river call Laohahe and has an elevation of 2029 meters above sea level, that’s 6600 feet!

Wow, and I thought the extremes of Texas weather were harsh on my little apricot tree, just imagine what “her” ancestors had to endure. Where our little beauty lives is only 860 feet above sea level. What a journey the apricot tree has had.

Since the digging and dunging exercise many years ago, my little tree has captivated my attention. Through the years I have called it him, when all the while, it was a beautiful woman, filled with every good fortune that springtime provides as summer time blessings.

Health Benefits:

Apricots are filled with vitamins for eye-health. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and all the carotenes for optimum eye health, as well as zeaxanthin.

In Texas, where my little apricot tree is, the Season of Apricots is just before; about a month prior, my White Peach tree begins to produce its large white peaches in August. That depends though on old Jack Frost, and how easily winter releases its hold.

We have had a beautiful display of full white blossoms, only to wake early one late spring morning and find that Jack Frost came nipping at my little apricot blossoms, leaving them curled and withered.

While the precocious little apricot may be one of the earliest fruits to ripen in the orchard, she faces the harsh realities of living on the cusp between seasons. She never knows for sure how her harvest will please the gardener; however she is willing to repeat the process year after year.

After many years of growing in orchard, I believe that I have finally learned the lessons of life from this little apricot tree.

#1 Regardless of your circumstances or where God may have planted you, do what you do best, bloom! The outside factors that may try decrease or eliminate your harvest is beyond your control, you job is to bloom where you are planted.

#2 Multiple Streams provides for one dream. The only dream or desire that my little apricot tree has is to please me, the gardener. I wrote another article that talks about Multiple Streams not multiple dreams that i was reminded of while writing this.

I do believe that the reason that my little apricot tree continues to produce regardless of the weather or old Jack Frost, is because she demonstrates that multiple staggered blooming insures some type of harvest.

#3 You may have to dig up around your life and fertilize it with the dung from past failures in your life to produce the harvest that you are expecting.

It is never too late to dig it and dung it, and just wait and see what the dung of failures will produce!