getting familiar with a chainsaw...

Although we preserve the trees on our land, and refrain from taking out trees, 

it is inevitable that some trees or branches have to be cut down or trimmed .

Claude gave me a crash course in handling the chain saw...it was a first for me to touch a chain saw, never mind using it!

He made it look so easy....effortless....

 

Something about the tree that we are cutting down....

Ziziphus , also known as Jujube, Chinese Apple, Indian plum, and permseret (Anguilla)
IT  is a spiny, evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 m high, with trunk 40 cm or more in diameter; spreading crown; stipular spines and many drooping branches. The fruit is of variable shape and size. It can be oval, obovate, oblong or round, and that can be 1-2.5 in (2.5-6.25 cm) long, depending on the variety. The flesh is white and crisp. When slightly underipe, this fruit is a bit juicy and has a pleasant aroma. The fruit's skin is smooth, glossy, thin but tight.
It is most commonly found in the tropical and sub-tropical regions.





 The fruit is eaten raw or pickled or used in beverages. It is quite nutritious and rich in vitamin C.
The fruits are used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine, where they are believed to alleviate stress, and traditionally for antifungal, antibacterial, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, sedative, antispastic, antifertility/contraception, hypotensive and Antinephritic, cardiotonic, antioxidant, immunostimulant, and wound healing properties.

The freshly harvested as well as the candied dried fruits are often eaten as a snack, or with tea.


 In Christianity, the crown of thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ  before his crucifixion.  During my research on the trees on the farm, I stumbled upon the theory that the crown of thorns tree was indeed the Jujube tree....

The thorns on the tree are viscious!
If you don’t find the Jujube tree, it will find you. The Jujube is covered with long, sharp thorns. They hunt you down. They draw blood. They hurt.  Badly. Continuously. Inevitably.
 The Jujube is a pain but its fruit is tasty and versatile.

The wood makes a beautiful fire.  We  prefer to use the wood of the jujube tree when we barbeque.