So, continuing along the vein of my last post about that incredible pear tree that gave us seven bags of pears, we got a call about a downed peach branch in Sleepy Hollow. We decided to stop by on our way to drop off yesterday's fruit to the food bank, assuming it would just be a single branch. And uh, as you can see, it was very much not a single branch.
Nearly the entire tree was down, and when we asked why, the owners said it was because the tree had overestimated how much weight it could carry and grew itself too many peaches. Honestly, after inspecting the tree, I didn't even blame it for breaking. The picture to the right shows the tree after we had finished picking, but it was honestly the same story as the pear tree yesterday. The tree was loaded. It would probably have been smaller than the pear tree yesterday while still standing, but we still got an incredible five bags of peaches from the tree, which we then added to the trunk-load of fruits that we were already taking to the foodbank.
We very much literally had to squash the fruits in. I was thoroughly terrified the entire drive to the foodbank, both because I had the tiniest gap to see through the rearview mirror—I know, unsafe driving, I'm sorry but I swear I was careful—and because I was sure one of the bags would tip over or fall or something and when we opened the trunk it would be like those gifs of releasing plastic balls from a ball pit. But, as you can see below, all was well. We were able to successfully transport over a dozen bags and one cardboard box of fruits to the foodbank to end up with FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY SEVEN POUNDS OF FRUIT.
I honestly can't believe it. The ball has just started rolling for true fruit season—we're only in the beginning for apples and pears—and we've already donated more than fifteen hundred pounds of fruit this year! If we can keep this kind of momentum, imagine how much we can have donated by the end of this season! When I started Fruits of Labor, I assumed it would be a small thing my Mom and I did on my free time and we could donate maybe a couple bags every day. I will admit I had grand dreams for it, but I never thought I would be able to actually begin achieving them! My mind continues to be blown with the response that I've gotten and how many people are interested in helping out, whether that's picking, being donors, or even reaching out to neighbors and getting me in contact with them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
All the love,
Carrie
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