Good morning.
I hope you woke up ready to read, because today's newsletter is packed.
Last week I told you about our problem with the weight of the persimmons on the branches, and I wanted to thank you because you have given us a lot of advice.
For example, Juani tells us that they use props to support the weight:
This system is also known here, however, my father used to say that you never go to sleep without learning something new.
And it's true, because in all my years, I had never heard of the method of propping up apple tree branches that Carmen tells us about:
And since every master has their secret, I had thought about telling you how we deal with this problem at home.
Our secret technique requires, like everything we do at Campos del Abuelo, to be based on sustainable traditions, because in the end, with so much technology, the simplest thing turns out to be the best.
In this case, a simple rope.
Yes, yes, you heard right, a rope.
You see, something so simple, yet so versatile as a rope; from hanging clothes to being used as a jump rope. A piece of rope used wisely can take you very far.
To understand how we use rope to solve the problem, let's first understand what the problem is.
When you leave a 'Rojo Brillante' persimmon tree (the persimmon variety from Valencia) unchecked, due to the weight of the persimmons, it will grow wide and down, like a bush.
However, if we help them maintain their natural shape from a young age, they will grow upwards and closer to the center, like a tree.
This is important, as fruit touching the ground spoils quickly.
Now, with this in mind, we can take advantage of the tree's symmetry.
Nature is wiser than we think, and if we stop to look closely, we will realize that the tree itself was already trying to solve this problem on its own, it just needs a little help...
This is crazy, but if you look closely, you will realize that the tree tries to grow by keeping its center of mass in the trunk, so that it is not so easily knocked down by the wind.
Knowing this, all it takes is a bit of rope tied around the branches, so that they themselves support the weight of their companions, and voilà.
This is a slow and dedicated process, as each year the ropes have to be removed and re-tied to be perfectly adjusted to the tree's needs, not too tight nor too loose...
Like when you adjust your belt after a good meal😋!
Now, as I told you last week, this technique does not mean it's not important to "thin" the trees.
We take advantage of the past to do both, because even if the branches are tied, if we let all the persimmons they want grow, the branches will end up broken by the weight, whether tied or not.
Not to mention that with so much effort to diversify, the tree runs out of strength to produce those large, tasty and nutritious persimmons that you are used to enjoying 😉.
And did you know about these techniques?
We'd love to hear if you know of other techniques like those Carmen and Juani shared with us last week.
Today's newsletter ended up being a bit long😅, but if you're still curious, we recently uploaded a blog post about why tomatoes were once thought to be toxic🧪...
It's a must-read!
See you next time!
