Kamias, atbp.

We grew a lot of small trees around my parents' home. Among these is a kamias tree that has survived over few decades since its planting in the early 80's. The kamias tree is just across from my sister's room and can easily be seen from the front of the house as it is just near the wall along the side of the property. It is a prolific tree so much so that one can harvest a lot of kamias any time of year. Kamias has many other uses aside from it being edible. Among the practical uses of the fruit is as a natural bleach or cleanser. It's quite good at removing stains without damaging the color of clothes.

I remember we used to have a chico tree at the front corner of our home that regularly bore fruit so much so that you'd don't have to crave for chico.  Much of the fruits, particularly those near the top and hard to get, were consumed by bats. The tree is said to come from fruit brought to Manila by paternal grandmother who usually brought some fruits from what was available from the trees surrounding our home in Iloilo. Unfortunately, the tree had to be cut when our house was remodeled to raise it against the perennial flooding in Cainta.

I also remember we had an atis tree that also bore its seasonal fruits but the old one also had to be cut down during the remodeling of the house back in the late 90's. The tree we have there now is a younger one but has been already quite consistent in producing the fruit that is my favorite. In fact, my mother still always stashes away the biggest fruits for me.

Kamias in my parents' backyard

There's a guyabano tree in another corner of our home that never fails to deliver fruits during the summertime. Tatay usually covered the small fruit to protect it against birds, bats or insects that might eat the fruit even before it ripened on the tree. I remember one time that we brought home several guyabanos that we were able to bring some to my in-laws.

I would prefer to live in a home where there's space to plant a few small trees whose fruits I could enjoy. Perhaps this wish is influence of my growing up in a home where there are trees and plants around, and that includes vacationing at our home in Iloilo where we were surrounded by so many plants and trees. Perhaps I will get what I wish for in the near future.

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