We have walked on paths along the side of many citrus groves during our perambulations on the Amalfi coast. Some of the fruit is absolutely enormous and grows very densely. I was very surprised to hear that they can get up to four crops of lemons in one year! Why do we only get one crop of apples off our apple trees in Kent? I have found it very hard not to stop and pick up the oranges and lemons that have fallen on to the paths, but it doesn’t make sense to have the weight of them in my back pack all day – a missed scrumping opportunity!
When Stew and I were in this area on a walking holiday twenty odd years ago, we did one walk which ended on a citrus fruit farm. They showed is some of the most bizarre trees growing several varieties of fruit on each tree. I particularly remember the big grapefruits which were like oranges inside.
They made limoncello on the farm and they pressed the group to sample it. Stew decided to buy a bottle of it, and it was sold to him in a lemonade bottle with a crown cap on. However, when we got home, we couldn’t find the bottle. We couldn’t understand how we could have lost it.
It was about two months later that we found it. Stew had put the bottle into his back pack in a very little-used pocket. When he got home, he didn’t check the pocket and used the bag to carry his books up to the university every day. That bottle must have been carried up and down to the university a few dozen times before Stew found it! Sad to say, it didn’t taste anything like as good back home as it had in that sunny orchard with the trees heaving with fruit around us.
Jae and I have been getting lots of good hill walking practice in in Italy. Every bit of leg muscle aches. It must be good preparation for Kili.
