The Power of Life & Death

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: small;">Posted by: jennifer </span></h1> <img alt="the trailhead (part 4): the power of life & death" class="attachment-thumbnail wp-post-image" height="150" src="http://sc.cadreministries.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1066564_60279004.jpg-150x150.jpg" style="border: 5px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin: 10px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" title="the trailhead (part 4): the power of life & death" width="150" /><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>WORDS</b></span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">They so easily slip off the tongue, sometimes before we realize we’re really thinking them. They can be used to convey information, make jokes, express love, bring encouragement… or, according to Proverbs, bring death:</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>“The tongue has the power of life and death,<br />and those who love it will eat its fruit” </strong>(<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event">18:21</a>).</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I hope that stops us in our tracks. So much power given to such a small thing as the tongue. Do our words–often careless afterthoughts or quick reactions to a situation–really have the power to give life or death? I’m not sure I <em>want</em> my words to have that kind of power! I know in my heart I haven’t always stewarded that power well. I’ve hurt people, spoken falsehood, continued arguments simply to prove I was right, spewed out careless words when I should have listened… truly the tongue is a dangerous weapon.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But we’re not asked if we want that kind of power for our words; we’re simply told that we have it. The question is: <strong>how will we use it?</strong></span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I’m encouraged by the promise that Solomon put on the end of this sobering proverb: “Those who love it will eat its fruit.” <strong>Yes, the power that the tongue has to discourage, to breed fear, and to destroy relationships is very real and must be guarded against with all diligence. But the tongue equally has the power to bring life!</strong> We can bring encouragement, dispel fears, and mend relationships all through our words. And we’re promised that <strong>if we learn to exercise this power well, we will reap the fruit of it in our own lives.</strong></span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Are there words someone spoke to you, perhaps years past, that have marked you in significant ways–for good or for bad? What is it that gave those words such power? Can you think of a time when someone’s words were just what you needed to hear, giving you the courage to act or helping you to transform your attitude?</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While it can be scary how much power our words have, it can also be exciting. God has given me this tremendous tool for bringing life to those around me. If I allow him to speak through me, choosing to express truth and beauty and kindness, I can literally change lives… or, as Proverbs puts it, give life.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And perhaps years down the road, there will be real fruit to harvest from the simple words our tongues have spoken.</span></div>

The Power of Life & Death

Posted by: jennifer  WORDS They so easily slip off the tongue, sometimes before we realize we’re really thinking them. They can be used...

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10 Reasons to Eat Pineapple Every Day

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pineapple is a juicy, delicious and healthy fruit and there are many great reasons to consume it every day. One of the best things about pineapple is that it’s available in the grocery stores all year round, though the peak season for it runs from March to July. Since pineapple is easy to prepare, you can enjoy it with little effort daily or weekly. Check out seven reasons why you should include pineapple in your daily eating plan.<br /><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 9px; padding-top: 9px;"><img alt="Reasons to Eat Pineapple Every Day" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18085" height="346" src="http://en.amerikanki.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Reasons-to-Eat-Pineapple-Every-Day.jpg?1f3802" style="border: 0px; display: block; margin: 0px auto; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 9px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /></span></span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1. Versatile</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There are many things to do with pineapple. You can chop it and mix with jalapenos and avocado for a tasty garnish that brings out the flavor in fish or chicken. I like combining chunks of pineapple with mango pieces, orange segments and kiwi slices for a wonderful tropical fruit salad. Give it a try, and it will be your favorite fruit salad all the year round.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2. Great taste</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the best reasons to eat pineapple every day is because of its great taste. Pineapples are naturally sweet, juicy and incredibly tasty. You can eat them raw or cook with it. I usually add pineapple to my smoothies, salsa, Greek yogurt and fruit salads. If you can’t eat fresh pineapple, using it in your smoothies will be the best option for you.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">3. Rich in antioxidants</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We know that antioxidants are found in most vegetables and fruits, including pineapple. It’s essential to get enough antioxidants regularly since they combat free radical damage that plays a big role in heart disease and cancer. Free radicals come from an environmental toxins and poor, unhealthy diet so we cannot completely avoid them. However, adding pineapple to your eating plan will give you a bit of insurance.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Read also – <a href="http://en.amerikanki.com/antioxidant-rich-foods/" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10 Best Antioxidant-Rich Foods</a></strong></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">4. High in Vitamin C</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Vitamin C is essential for our immune system health and pineapple is packed with this vitamin. Getting enough Vitamin C on a daily basis will help you bypass that cold most people have right now. A one-cup serving of pineapple provides you with all the vitamin C you need for the whole day.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">5. Low in calories</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Fresh pineapple is really low in calories. One cup has less than 100 calories. Although pineapple is super sweet, you can include it in your healthy diet and don’t worry about weight gain. Sticking to a diet plan low in calories is one of the best ways to keep weight gain under control, so eating something that tastes good and contains fewer calories and less fat is just wonderful. Have pineapple with your lunch or eat it as a snack and keep your weight under control.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">6. You can cook with pineapple</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">While pineapple is incredibly delicious raw, you can also cook with it. You can combine pineapple chunks with red bell pepper and chicken breasts in the slow cooker for a tasty sweet and sour chicken recipe. I like cooking chicken with teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice, shredding it up and serving it on buns for a Hawaiian dinner that my family always enjoys. For a delicious dessert, slice pineapple and grill it with honey.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">7. Pineapple is easy to peel</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Unfortunately, many people don’t buy pineapples because they think it’s difficult to prepare. But they actually aren’t. Just cut off ends of the pineapple, stand it up and slice the peel from top to bottom using a sharp knife. Then, cut the pineapple into 4 chunks, slice the core and cut it in bite-size pieces. Use them for your meals and if you have the leftovers, keep them in the fridge.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">8. Low in sodium</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nowadays most foods contain alarming doses of sodium. Pineapples are low in sodium and they are perfect for people who have to stick to a low sodium diet plan. Even if you don’t follow a low sodium diet, it’s worth eating pineapples regularly.</span></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">9. Boosts immunity</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pineapples are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, selenium, Vitamin B6, manganese, copper, thiamin, and traces of more than 15 antioxidant compounds that help keep you healthy. They boost your immunity and protect against specific pathogens. I think it’s one of the most important reasons to eat pineapple every day.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Read also – <a href="http://en.amerikanki.com/antiaging-foods-eat-every-day/" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">10 Best Anti-Aging Foods to Eat Every Day</a></strong></div> <h3 style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">10. Boosts brain activity</span></span></h3> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Pineapples are an excellent source of natural sugars, which provide the essential glucose to your body and help balance your blood sugar levels. This improves your brain function, promotes better cognition, and improves your focus and concentration.</span></div> <span class="wp-pagenavi" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; clear: both; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 10px 0px; text-align: right; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /> <div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.7em; margin: 0px 0px 9px; orphans: auto; outline: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> Pineapple has a lot of amazing health benefits and if you lead a healthy lifestyle, you should certainly include this fruit into your eating plan. How often do you eat pineapple? What’s your favorite way to enjoy pineapple?</div> </div>

10 Reasons to Eat Pineapple Every Day

Pineapple is a juicy, delicious and healthy fruit and there are many great reasons to consume it every day. One of the best things about p...

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The Tree that produces 40 fruit every year

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div id="pc_top" style="margin: -7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 49;"> <div id="pc_top2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px;"> <div id="headline" style="margin: 0px 0px 9px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 625px; z-index: 25;"> <h1 id="H1" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; width: 475px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: small;">Artist Sam Van Aken discusses his thought-provoking project and its place at the intersection of farming, sculpture, and preservation</span></h1> <h2 class="meta-info" style="clear: both; font-weight: normal; margin: 14px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="author" itemprop="author" style="font-style: italic;">by Lauren Salkeld</span></span></span></h2> <div class="source" style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; width: 450px;"> </div> </div> <div class="sponsorAd" style="height: 60px; left: 523px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 120px; z-index: 27;"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content_unit" id="articleContent" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 11px; padding: 18px 1px 0px; position: relative; width: 644px;"> <div id="artInner" itemprop="articleBody" style="margin: 0px 15px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;"> <div class="imageMod imgposfull" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); float: none; margin: 0px 0px 9px; padding: 0px; width: 614px;"> <div class="imageElement" style="margin: 0px; padding: 1px;"> <img alt="Sam Van Aken's Tree of 40 Fruit" border="0" src="http://www.epicurious.com/images/articlesguides/chefsexperts/interviews/tree-of-40-fruit_612.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 3px;" width="612" /></div> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span class="dropCapFirst" style="float: left; margin: -5px 4px -2px 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A</span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ward-winning contemporary artist and Syracuse University art professor Sam Van Aken grew up on a family farm in Reading, Pennsylvania, but he spent his college years and much of his early career focused on art rather than agriculture. While Van Aken says that his work has always been "inspired by nature and our relationship to nature," it wasn't until recently that the artist's farming background became such a clear and significant influence, first in 2008 when he grafted vegetables together to create strange plants for his Eden exhibition, and then shortly after that when he started to work on the hybridized fruit trees that would become the <a href="http://www.treeof40fruit.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="new">Tree of 40 Fruit.</a></span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Each tree begins as a slightly odd-looking specimen resembling some kind of science experiment, and for much of the year, looks like just any other tree. In spring, the trees bloom to reveal an incredibly striking and thought-provoking example of what can happen when nature inspires art. Then, over the course of several months, Van Aken's trees produce an incredible harvest of plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and almonds, including many you've likely never seen before.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thus far, Van Aken has created and placed 16 trees in museums, community centers, and private art collections around the country, including in Newton, Massachusetts; Pound Ridge, New York; Short Hills, New Jersey; Bentonville, Arkansas; and San Jose, California. Using a unique process he calls "sculpture through grafting," Van Aken creates trees that grow and support more than 40 varieties of stone fruit, including many heirloom, antique, and native varieties.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On the heels of Van Aken's <a href="http://new.livestream.com/tedx/manhattan2014/videos/43864399" style="text-decoration: none;" target="new">TEDxManhattan talk,</a> we spoke with him about the Tree of 40 Fruit, how he developed and executed the concept, his plans for the future, and what happens to all that fruit.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epicurious:</em> What is the Tree of 40 Fruit and what inspired the project?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Sam Van Aken:</em> At the time this project began I was doing a series of radio hoaxes where I hijacked commercial radio station frequencies and played my own commercials and songs. In addition to becoming acquainted with FCC regulations I also discovered that the term "hoax" comes from "hocus pocus," which in turn comes from the Latin "hoc est enim corpus miem," meaning "this is my body" and it's what the Catholic priest says over the bread during [the] Eucharist, transforming it into the body of Christ. This process is known as transubstantiation and [it] led me to wonder how I could transubstantiate a thing. How could the appearance of a thing remain the same while the reality changed? And so, I transubstantiated a fruit tree. Through the majority of the year it is a normal-looking fruit tree until spring when it blossoms in different tones [of] pink, white, and crimson, and late in summer it bears [more than] 40 different types of fruit.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> What is the goal of the Tree of 40 Fruit and what do you hope to communicate?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> First and foremost I see the tree as an artwork. Like the hoaxes I was doing, I want the tree to interrupt and transform the everyday. When the tree unexpectedly blossoms in different colors, or you see these different types of fruit hanging from its branches, it not only changes the way you look at it, but it changes the way you perceive [things] in general.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the project evolved, it took on more goals. In trying to find different varieties of stone fruit to create the Tree of 40 Fruit, I realized that for various reasons, including industrialization and the creation of enormous monocultures, we are losing diversity in food production and that heirloom, antique, and native varieties that were less commercially viable were disappearing. I saw this as an opportunity to, in some way, preserve these varieties. In addition to maintaining these varieties in my nursery, I graft them to the Tree of 40 Fruit. Additionally, when I place a Tree of 40 Fruit, I go to local farmers and growers to collect stone fruit varieties and graft them to the trees. In this way they become an archive of the agricultural history of where they are located as well as a means to preserve antique and native varieties.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> You've described your artistic process as "sculpting by way of grafting." Could you explain what that means?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> I currently work with over 250 varieties of stone fruit and developed a timeline of when they blossom in relationship to each other. By grafting these different varieties onto the tree in a certain order I can essentially sculpt how the tree is to blossom.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> Why did you choose to work with stone fruits?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> Stone fruits have [a] greater diversity among the species, and are the most inter-compatible. Although it gets tricky when you start to graft cherries, for the most part one can easily graft between plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and even almonds.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> Where and how did you acquire all the different fruit varieties?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> My primary source for most of these varieties was the <a href="http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="new">New York State Agricultural Experiment Station</a> in Geneva, New York. When I began the project there was an orchard at the Experiment Station with hundreds of different plum and apricot varieties. They planned to tear this orchard out, so I picked up the lease until I could graft all of these varieties onto the trees in my nursery.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> How long does it take to create one of your trees?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> Depending on when the tree is planted it takes about five years to develop each tree and graft 40 varieties to it.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> Do you continue to work on the trees after they're planted?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> After the tree has been planted, I visit it twice a year, in the spring to prune and [in] late summer to graft, for three years, until the tree is established.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> What happens to all the fruit from your trees?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> Until I discovered garlic and peppermint repellents, they were a huge hit with the local deer, but fortunately we've resolved that. I've been told by people that have [a tree] at their home that it provides the perfect amount and perfect variety of fruit. So rather than having one variety that produces more than you know what to do with, it provides good amounts of each of the 40 varieties. Since all of these fruit ripen at different times, from July through October, you also aren't inundated.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Personally, I give away most of the fruit that comes from my trees. For people who aren't aware of farming and growing, the diversity of these varieties and their characteristic tastes are surprising and they ultimately begin to question why there are only a few types of plums, one type of apricot, and a handful of peach varieties at their local market.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> Each of your trees has the capacity to grow more than 40 different varieties of stone fruits. Can you explain the significance of the number 40?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> The number 40 has been used throughout Western religion to represent a number beyond counting. [Being] interested in this idea of a bounty of fruit coming from one tree, 40 seemed appropriate.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <strong style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>Epi:</em> Do you have any plans for the future of this project?</strong></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em>SVA:</em> I would like to continue to place these trees throughout the country preserving these heirloom, antique, and native fruit varieties. Wherever I place them there is a sense of wonderment that they create through their blossoms, the different fruit, and the process by which they are created.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Eventually, I would like to create a grove or small orchard of these trees in an urban setting. I have always stayed away from artwork that educates people, but to some extent these works in addition to being beautiful and producing fruit cause one to reconsider the possibilities with food and fruit production.</span></div> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <h6 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px;"> <em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;">Photo: Sam Van Aken</span></em></h6> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;"> </div> <h5 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 0px;"> <em style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;">See More Interviews:</span></em></h5> <ul style="display: list-item; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;"> <li style="list-style-image: url(http://www.epicurious.com/rd_images/global_images/bullet.gif); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/celebrity-chefs/ferran-adria-el-bulli-interview-q-and-a" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">El Bulli Chef Ferran Adrià</span></a></li> <li style="list-style-image: url(http://www.epicurious.com/rd_images/global_images/bullet.gif); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/celebrity-chefs/rene-redzepi-interview" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">René Redzepi of Copenhagen's Noma ›</span></a></li> <li style="list-style-image: url(http://www.epicurious.com/rd_images/global_images/bullet.gif); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/interviews/mollie-katzen-moosewood-vegetarian-qa-recipes" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><em>Moosewood Cookbook</em> author Mollie Katzen ›</span></a></li> <li style="list-style-image: url(http://www.epicurious.com/rd_images/global_images/bullet.gif); margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/celebrity-chefs/payard-recipes-interview" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">French Pastry Chef François Payard ›</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>

The Tree that produces 40 fruit every year

Artist Sam Van Aken discusses his thought-provoking project and its place at the intersection of farming, sculpture, and preservation ...

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