By Louie Ferrera

Electric orbs of fruit dangle from our tangerine tree like earrings on the Buddha. Tangerines are holy fruit, each one is a sunrise or a sunset; the promise of a new day or gratitude for the day that has just passed. Is there a more delightful fruit than a tangerine?

The “tree” in our backyard is really no more than a bush about four feet high. This year it’s packed with so much fruit, I had to prop up its branches with poles to prevent breakage. Other than that, the tree requires such little care; a bit of weeding, some compost and a round or two of organic fertilizer is all it takes for this tree to thrive year in and year out. The appearance in summer of pure white blossoms with their intoxicatingly sweet fragrance is a harbinger of the sweetness to come.

Tangerines ripen in early winter, we have perhaps a month or so to harvest and eat the fruit before it rots. We rarely waste any. The ephemeral nature  of the fruit makes it all the more special. Tangerines are available most of the year in supermarkets but I rarely buy them. Their taste is a mere shadow of the succulent gems that our tree produces. The time that I get to eat homegrown tangerines is short, so I savor each and every one. Sooner than later I’ll pick the last one and the tree will once again be barren. I take full advantage of the miracle of sun, soil and water that produces our tangerines.

Unlike an orange, which takes time and effort to peel, the peel of a tangerine surrenders itself quite easily. Attached to the fruit by thin white tendrils, the peel of a tangerine can be removed in one piece, in mere seconds. If a tangerine is small enough it can be consumed in one or two bites. Ahh, but if you do that, you’re missing half the fun. It takes many months for a tangerine to go from blossom to ripe fruit, so why rush it? It’s best to experience a slow savor. Each segment is a crescent moon, eat those crescents one at a time and experience the taste of sweet summer sunshine, a lazy day at the beach, a feeling of total fulfillment. The snap of the fruit when you bite into it, the sweet/tart taste of the juice as it fills your mouth is one of the great simple pleasures of life.

Appreciate what you have, give thanks for the beauty that surrounds you; be it a Monet palette sunset, the warm comfort of the ones you love or the simple beauty and taste of a tangerine.