A very special episode

It was like Tuesday on Thursday today, as Village Harvest returned to the streets of San José to glean backyard fruit. We were mistaken for a roving party at first, as we were brunching on the hood of Julia’s car, with a spread of smoked salmon in cream cheese, pepper jack, and Henry’s apricots, which he claimed were from his own tree, but which I suspected he actually bought at Draeger’s.

Bob had brought his own feather to wear in his hat, but didn’t get close enough to tickle anyone.

He’s promised me a duck!

But the truck and La Jefe came at last to break up the party, and we quickly picked a nice backyard apricot tree that seemed to have more fruit than the entirety of Tuesday’s orchard.

The next house was a treat. So unassuming from the front, the backyard must have been at least a half acre, impossible to capture with the iPhone camera.

Aside from the apricot and plum trees we picked (two of each) there were also cherry, nectarine, apple, orange and pear trees. It was a stunning back yard. And we got a lot of beautiful fruit.

The last house was citrus, but the next-door neighbor wanted his trees picked, too, so we ended up with more than a barrel of grapefruit (and it’s not more fun than a barrel of grapefruit) and of oranges. Our motto: “Yodzh, just say ‘bu.'”

Martha’s Kitchen is closed on Thursday, so I’m going to take apricots and plums to Loaves and Fishes, another soup kitchen in San José.

And I know that today is CSA day; I’ll post about the box later this afternoon.