Our Daily Grapefruit

In January Nate and I hiked a remote trail, praying we’d find some wild Floridian grapefruit. We should have been more specific about the location of the fruit. Eleven miles into our hike—at the exact distance that we had planned to turn around—we stumbled upon the biggest cluster of grapefruit I have ever seen.

Most normal people would probably have left the fruit alone rather than carry it back for an additional four hours, but did this stop us? Of course not.

With the dignity of caffeinated junior high boys, we kicked, yelled, and karate chopped our way through the marsh-surrounded tree. First, Nate climbed the tree and shook its branches violently until most of the fruit fell to the ground. Then we hurled softball-sized rocks at the remaining rebels. By the time the battle was over, my head was covered with a thick layer or dirt, bugs, tree limb fragments, and fruit indentations. Nate looked as if he had been attacked by a bobcat.

Nevertheless we were pleased with the outcome—one backpack, one knapsack, and three plastic grocery bags brimming with delicious grapefruit.

Ignorantly undaunted by the distance between us and the car, we set off power-walking towards home. One mile into the trip, the plastic bag I was carrying began to rip under the weight of the fruit. Reflecting on God’s goodness in giving the grapefruit, I prayed that God would provide another bag for us to transport it all home. Minutes later, we found a Wal-Mart bag lying in the middle of the deserted trail. Another provision from God.

At this point, we apparently became greedy. When we saw ANOTHER wild citrus grove off the path, we laid down our bags and went to get more goods. We returned with an additional 20 pounds of oranges, 2-dozen new scratches, and 30 minutes less of daylight.
Not having anywhere else to put our new acquisitions, we began stuffing oranges in every conceivable inch of our bags, coats, knapsacks, and pockets.

In case you don’t know how heavy 50 pounds is, imagine this scenario. Walk 11 miles to the grocery, buy SEVENTEEN of those 3-pounnd bags of grapefruit. Load them into plastic bags, and then carry them 11 miles back to your house. Now imagine getting lost and having to walk an extra two miles in the dark because your mistake.

That’s what we do for fun around here. But despite our self-inflicted woes, we made it back to the car with all our limbs and most of our toenails in place.

Next, we needed to figure out what to do with 50 pounds of citrus. We tried giving them away, but all our friends seemed to have stockpiled store-bought fruit. We also tried an assortment of recipes (including grapefruit pie), but these didn’t go over too well.

So if anyone needs some grapefruit, let us know. I look forward to the day when I can see the bottom of my fridge.

Ivy