Trees and Figs and Surprises
September 22, 2008 · Print This Article · Written by Jennifer
You never know who you might be talking to when you’re in Healdsburg. The other day I was on my morning walk–just getting some exercise before I started my day and this big old truck pulled up to the side of the road. I looked through the windshield and saw Mike Mahoney’s face peering back at me. He leans over and winds down the passenger window. “Hey–I’m going over to trim some birch trees at Julie’s. Come watch!”
And I don’t think I have anything to lose, I might get a story. I climb in the rickety truck and we trundle over to Julie’s house. He meets his helper and they start assessing the trees he needs to trim. He tells me: “They’re dying. I told her a few years ago they’re going to have to come out. But she’s been watering and fertilizing..and they actually look pretty good. The tops just need to come off.”
They start to get busy, and I have a meeting downtown at 11:00 am. I walk back to my house, change, get my meeting things together, and head back downtown. I stop by Julie’s house to check on progress.
They’re all done. The trees are topped. The yard is cleaned up. Everything is chipped. I go round back to inspect the handiwork.
Mike points up to the top of a tree and shows me where he’s cut just above a bird hole. “I saved a blue jay’s home.”
His helper comes round to talk with us and brings a hand full of figs from Black Mission tree in the back yard. We peel the skin back and start munching on them.
“How can you get better than this?” I ask. “Fresh figs. Right from the tree.” I pry one in half and suck out the inside. Thinking you can’t really get a much tastier fig.
“Stuff it with a bit of goat cheese and wrap it in pancetta.” Mike’s helper says.
Turns out he used to be a chef at Bistro Ralph.
Comments
Got something to say?