Alabama Guavas!

Back in August I visited Parker Produce, the small farm of Alice and Charles Parker, regulars at the Tuscaloosa Farmers Market. I was there to pick up 15 lbs of elephant garlic for the Alabama Supper. They were the only farmers who could offer us garlic at the time, and they assured us that their supply was bountiful. Just a short jaunt from their house, a storage shed was used to dry and store the garlic. Strung from the ceiling, the bulbs were neatly bundled and arranged, each spaced an even distance from the other. The two worked in concert to cut and remove enough bulbs for my order, one standing on tippie toes, the other down below collecting and weighing.

My walk down to the garlic shed soon turned into a tour of the property. Alice and Charles escorted me through a botanical oasis, filled with a myriad of fruit trees and vegetables. I navigated my way through rows of muscadines and scuppernongs (yes there's a difference!), satsumas, and fig trees, dodging numerous fire ant hills along the way. We walked some more, through the apple trees, and did I hear them say that they once grew peaches? My wonderment was only temporarily suspended when I let up on my ant hill reconnaissance, and found myself in the middle of a big mound, frantically squashing and stomping.

I thought the tour had peaked when I saw my first jujube fruit tree, but then we arrived on a pair of guava trees. I could not hide my excitement. Guavas in Alabama? Alabama's fruit repertoire just kept getting longer - last year I discovered kiwis at Petals from the Past. The trees were pretty big, and bracketed by two large wooden beams that held a single iron rod. When the nights got cold, a blanket could be thrown over the rod to protect the plants. I was impressed, and I asked Alice and Charles to hold me back a few of the tropical fruits whenever they were ready to harvest.

A couple of weeks ago Andy came home from the Farmers Market with a paper sack full of guavas. Small green ellipsoids, their yellow flesh was sweet and aromatic and the taste paired well with the bitter skin. Its scent was vaguely floral, and it briefly reminded me of Hawaii, the only other place I've ever eaten a guava.

Be sure to visit Alice and Charles at the Tuscaloosa Farmers Market on Saturday and Tuesday mornings from 6 am to noon. You may have missed out on the guavas, but soon they'll be selling satsumas - another one of Alabama's fruit jewels!