The first time I took a bite of something from nature, I was nervous. My friend smiled, rubbed the red plum on her shirt, then took a bite. I stabilized myself in the tree, wanting to trust the branches could hold me, and reached up to pluck the sun-haloed fruit in front of me. I followed my friend’s lead, rubbing the light film off on my tie-died T-shirt until the skin shone, an invitation. I tested the plum’s softness, hoping my first bite wouldn’t be too sour, and then dug in. My teeth broke through to the pit, and the pink-yellow flesh filled my mouth. A drop of sweet juice ran down my chin. I chewed before wiping it off with my sleeve. My youth meant I hadn’t yet developed the quick shame that comes with untidiness.
The next time, I hesitated less. My cousins had a kumquat tree in their backyard. I had never heard of that type of citrus, the grape-sized yellow-orange fruit sprouted from the tree too small to climb, but we didn’t need to. We grabbed a few and brought them inside. I peeled the thin fibrous and pocked skin then tasted the inside. It was sour but in a reasonable way.
We decided to make lemonade, assuming that was the best option for sour citrus. We spent about 15 minutes peeling and squeezing until we saw the minuscule results of our labor: just a shallow puddle of liquid in each glass, hardly enough to sip. But I had no regrets. We moved on to play games, pulling down the box for The Game of Life.
A year or two later, I was in my front yard when a friend pointed out that the little purple flowers blooming next to my house were honeysuckle. “Look,” she said, removing the flower from its green holder. She touched the end of it to her tongue and then grinned. I tried it and was quickly rewarded with a drop of honey sweetness, soothing in its natural flavor. I went on to indulge in those tiny snacks each spring up until my mom lost the house.
It’s been too many years since I’ve tasted something I didn’t find at a grocery store or restaurant. I wonder if growing up means we’re guarded. Too nervous or busy to try something new. To trust nature, and to trust kids brave enough to bite into something they found outside, up in a tree, or a patch of flowers on the ground.
