I visited family in Albuquerque a few weeks ago. While there, my sister Joanne Mc Entire (Querenciagreen.org) took me on a tour of a community garden called LA Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park. Joanne is a community planner who has been working on green infrastructure projects in the urban areas of Albuquerque. She helped with the design and building of this garden park about 2 years ago from the perspective of water harvesting rain from the monsoon season. She described the many steps and community groups that were involved to convert a third of an acre corner plot that was nothing but flat compacted soil. Shaping the land with contours, swales and basins so all rainfall would be put to the best use was integrated with amending the soil to both hold the rain water and not be lost in the arid climate and to create a vibrant rich soil for the the new drought tolerant plants. Four inches of woody mulch topping was added to prevent aridity from occurring. The selection of drought tolerant plants includes grasses, succulents and sages which needed initial watering from the neighborhood volunteers to get through the first year of dry weather.

My tour and discussion with Joanne sparked my appreciation and understanding about the essential elements in creating a garden with limited rainfall in an arid climate. The community team effort is pivotal from the design and implementation phases to guarantee success. Various volunteer groups to do the hard foundation work and planting was an integral part of the project. Residents in the Mesa neighborhood enjoy and take pride in this garden as the children in the school across the street take tours of the garden and parents wait for their children after school in the garden which provides a little shade and a touch of beauty.

Last month, I got the opportunity to attend the meeting of the local chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers, the largest amateur fruit-growing organization in the world. I've been aware of this group for years. I have a friend from another plant society who is a member of the local chapter of the CRFG. He has shared with me some very rare and unusual plants, some of which I've killed.

One such plant was pepino dulce (Solanum muricatum). So at the raffle, when my ticket was called, I picked a a pepino dulce in a 3-gallon pot. I loaded it in the car and brought it home. It was then I realized that I didn't remember anything about it.

Lucky for me, the Internet came to my rescue. Here are a couple of links to the University of California in Davis websites that cover this plant.

Pepino dulce leaves (photo by Tina Saravia)

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-234.pdf

http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Fruit_English/?uid=47&ds=798

Pepino dulce (sweet cucumber in Spanish) is also known as melon pear or melon shrub. It is an

 evergreen frost-sensitive plant native to the Andean regions of South America. It belongs to the family Solanaceae or night shade family. It's related to tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes. It's a perennial but will grow as an annual in many areas.

It's growth habit is similar to a small tomato vine, and may need staking or support. The plant looks like a potato plant (I think the leaves look like a pepper plant.); and according to the picture from the UC Davis site, the fruit looks like an eggplant.

But I will have to wait until next year, as it doesn't set fruit until the night temperatures are above 65° F.

As for the taste of the fruit, "Better quality fruit is moderately sweet, refreshing and juicy with a taste and aroma similar to a combination of cantaloupe and honeydew melon. In poor varieties there can be an unpleasant 'soapy' aftertaste."

I sure hope I have the better variety.

photo by Adel Kader, UC Davis

Here's an additional link to more information about this plant from the California Rare Fruit Growers. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pepino.html

Two years ago we drove to Anacortes, Washington, boarded a ferry to Orcas Island for a two-week vacation.  We traveled with our neighbors in two separate vehicles. Taking walkie-talkies to communicate with each other made the 850-mile trip fun. We shared audio books, comparing our favorite stories. The trip back to Vacaville was not nearly as much fun. Our neighbors left a day before us. By the time we disembarked from the ferry in Anacortes, it was about 11:30AM on a Friday. Driving through Seattle was a nightmare and an accident in Tacoma slowed us down to 10 mph for 2 hours. We swore if we EVER went back we would fly instead of drive.

Several weeks ago, we returned to Orcas again and we DROVE.  We tried to plan the trip smarter and though it's a long drive, the trip was marvelous. Why the fascination with this island? Orcas is one of the San Juan Islands in Washington.  Observing the ferry dock in the early 60's on an unplanned vacation, we promised each other to come back someday.  Someday was almost 50 years later. A friend, who lives on Orcas, offered us her beach home in Eastsound, so off we went for two weeks.

Orcas is the largest of the islands with a population of almost 5,000 full time residents, less populated than San Juan Island. It has 56.9 square miles with Rolling Meadows, rocky beaches, family farms and forests of Douglas firs, cedar and Madrons.  Orcas is shaped like a horseshoe.  Between the ferry landing and the village of Eastsound, you will see rolling farmland with sheep, cows and deer.

Orcas (or killer whales) are in the waters of the San Juan Islands. They are playful, intelligent and social animals that make unique sounds to communicate with each other. They feed on salmon and use sound to find fish for food. Traveling by ferry from one island to the other, you can see Orcas breach in the distance. If you are lucky, you may see a pod of Orcas swimming off shore. Orcas can be seen all year in the San Juan Islands, but regularly May through September. In 2005 the Orca whales were placed on the endangered species list.

My husband and I were in awe of Orcas Island and the natural beauty. We walked along the rocky beach and observed bald eagles. In the quaint downtown area, deer walk from one side of the street to the other. They are protected, so feel quite safe among humans. We've been told the deer swim from island to island. There are seals that hang out along the boat docks. In addition there are mallard ducks, colorful Eider, and the rarely seen Horned Puffin. And of course, the great blue heron, the largest heron in North America that can be seen on lakeshores or inland rivers.

The sunsets on Orcas are a kaleidoscope of colors. Breathtaking and ever changing! A world of sailboats, kayaks, and small picturesque marinas, Lighthouses and summer homes dot the shoreline.

The tallest point on Orcas is Mount Constitution. rising to 2,409 feet. At its summit stands a stone observation tower constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1036. The view from this point is stunning. The best route to take to get to the top is through Moran State Park. Orcas has 247 days of sunshine. There are 4 islands served by the ferry system. Orcas has no stoplights, probably not needed since the maximum speed limit is 40 MPH.

Shipbuilding millionaire and Seattle mayor, Robert Moran, built Rosario Resort at the turn of the century. This enormous mansion is a landmark on the island and the ironwork, brass and mahogany woodwork makes you feel you are inside a luxury ocean liner. The dining room windows look out over Cascade Bay, where one can watch glorious sunsets. There is a museum within the mansion showing the history of Orcas Island.

Orcas offers many family adventures such as camping, hiking, swimming, biking, paddle boats, fishing, sightseeing, checking out tide pools, collecting driftwood,

Kayak tours, horseback riding, and sailing, whale watching and farm tours.  Summer plays, two pottery shops (my favorite is Orcas Island Pottery) off Enchanted Forest Road. It was built overlooking the ocean, has a unique tree house and incredible dahlia gardens.

Would I return to this charming island where life is slow and peaceful? In a heartbeat!    

As Autumn begins to feel like winter, it is time again to dream about what fruit trees to order soon to plant in your yard come late winter/early spring.  If space is limited, one of the best fruit trees to consider planting is a semi-dwarf called the Black Jack Fig tree which grows 6' - 8' tall if regularly pruned.  I bought mine from Annie's Annuals about 2 years ago when it was barely a foot tall.  Although planting the Black Jack Fig tree straight into the ground would be ideal, this cultivar does nicely in a container.  I have not taken optimum care of my tree as the light falls in uneven patterns in my backyard; nevertheless, this little fig tree continues to survive and produces fruit in spite of this lazy gardener.  

The Black Jack Fig tree produces large fruits, similar both in size and appearance to the California Brown Turkey fig.  The skin of the fruit is purplish-brown with a pink center.  The fruit is sweet and juicy.  The Black Jack Fig thrives in zones 7-10 and has a 100-hour chill requirement.  It is also drought tolerant and can tolerate temperatures down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.  The sweetest fruits are produced when temperature soar above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not uncommon in Solano County during the summer.  If you buy a tree that is a year old, you may even begin to harvest fruit in the first year, from August into November.  This tree self-pollinates and in my experience, suffers from no pest or disease issues. Great little tree-- happy planting!