Perennial Trees

VHTS (Very Hungry Tween Son) loves fresh fruit, especially apples and pears. He eats at least one of each a day, provided they are here in our house. He has a problem with most tree nuts, but since he hasn't tried all of them, we might be able to find a couple that do well with him.

Meanwhile, here's a list of perennial trees that bear edible food. Source: http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Perennial_Foods

Perennial Trees:

• American wild plum, Prunus americana


• Apple, Malus domestica


• Avocado, Persea americana


• Black cherry, Prunus serotina


• Chestnut crab, Malus sp.


• Choke cherry, Prunus virginiana


• Citrus, Citrus sp.


• Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas


• Eastern Redbud, Cercis occidentalis


• Fig, Ficus carica


• Glossy black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa


• Hawthorn, Cratagus sp.


• Hazel nut, Corylus americana, C. cornuta, C. avellana


• Loquat, Eriobotrya japonica


• Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba


• Monkey puzzle, Araucaria araucana


• Pear, Pyrus sp.


• Persimmon, Diospyros sp.


• Pin cherry, Prunus pensylvanica


• Plum, Prunus sp.


• Quince, Cydonia oblonga


• Serviceberry, Juneberry, Amelanchier sp.


• Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa


• Tart cherry, Prunus sp

I didn't notice the pinion pine on here - pine nuts are wonderful sources of protein, and the beautiful appearance of the fir tree on our property is wonderful. Pinecones can be collected for fire-fuel, or filled with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed, then hung for birds in the winter.

Actually, very few tree nuts are listed here. We'll have lots of walnuts, pecans, almonds, butternut, chestnut and filberts. Some of these come in miniature size, making it easy to harvest.

We have a cherry tree at our current homestead but if we don't get the cherries the moment they are ready, the birds get to them. We're planning on planting cherry bushes at the next homestead, because they will grow closer to the ground, allowing us to cover them with a netting. They will also be easier to pick.

We have read about many different kinds of apple trees. If we plan it right, we could have several different kinds of apples, each bearing at different times, allowing us to have freshly-picked apples practically all year round!

There's also something called a "Fruit Cocktail" tree, "Fruit Salad" or also known as a "5-in-One" tree - apricots, plums, nectarines, etc. How exciting!

We love bananas, avocados and citrus like lime and lemon, but we'll grow those in our future greenhouse or sunroom. I love thinking about going into the sunroom in my jammies, blizzard going on outside, and picking a couple of bananas for my breakfast.