Just one tree

[red lake]

My parents used to talk about a tree allot when we were kids, I want one of those trees. Money Tree

[Rick]

Really? My parents' speech so of went like, "Do you think money grows on trees? Do you think I can just pick dollar bills off the limbs? You think dollar bills drop off trees like leaves?"

I was pretty convinced at a young age that money did NOT grow on trees.

[wareagle69]

apple would be my first choice, but oak is a close second, haveing and oak forest close by would help with food, shelter and warmth, as does the apple tree

[RobertRogers]

Up here in the north, Apple would be a good choice. Oak too, though you need to process the nuts before they are edible.

[Chris]

Walnuts. Walnuts contain high levels of antioxidants, L-arginine, and alpha-linoleic acid and are one of the best nuts you can eat. They are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Nuts in general are also high in plant sterols and fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (Omega 3 fatty acids - the good fats) that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts. There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't eat walnuts. In addition, walnut trees can live for several hundred years.

For a non-nut tree, I'd pick apples. They are probably the most versatile fruit we have. You can cook, can, dehydrate, jelly, jam, make cider or just eat them raw. Under the right conditions they can be stored for quite a long time. Hot apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream ... Mmmmmmmmm.

Walnuts would be my second choice, or #1 for northern climes that can't grow pecans, but if you can grow pecans, they edge out walnuts in nutrition/calories except omega3 fatty acids, and if society is failing I'm probably going to be more concerned with getting calories then making sure my HDL levels are high enough.

This is all purely hypothetical of course, no one would just plant one tree, and no one knows if civilization were ever to degenerate. But I like to think of the functionality of things I plant. For instance, if you want shade trees near your house, plant sugar maples. Worst case scenario one day you might be able to make your own syrup, barter it, whatever. In the meantime, they're pretty and can provide shade.

[Pocomoonskyeyes3]

From a "Survival mentality", I would have to agree with Chris and some others on Pecan as the "Nut tree" I would have as my main choice, although Walnuts are also good food. Why? Ease of getting the Nut Meat, is my ultimate reason. It is easy to crack a pecan by holding two in one hand and squeezing and easier separating the meat from the shell. So for "Calories expended" By the work involved the Pecan wins out in Calories returned for calories expended.

We had just one mature tree in our yard where I grew up. One year My Mom "Fertilized" the tree using 2 of the smallest cans of Red Devil Lye. She dug a shallow hole under the ends of the farthest reaches of the limbs on opposing sides and punched 3-4 nail holes in the cans bottom and top, burying the cans. That fall we harvested something like 40 - 5 gallon buckets of Nuts. In previous years the Harvest was less. In the following 2-3 years the harvest slowly dwindled to a "normal" amount. But that one year our harvest was more than doubled.

For fruit trees I guess I would have to go with the majority also and play "Johnny Appleseed".

[canid]

bacon tree. no contest.

oh; a real tree? hrm... i think i gotta side with apples.

[Justin Case]

Money Tree !

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[canid]

and of course; whatever sort, it should double as a squirrel tree.

[crimescene450]

A native one that would help out the local wild life. Probably an oak tree. Aside from the acorns in fall, oak trees support squirrel, deer, and turkey populations.



edit: wait, do turkeys eat acorns?

[canid]

yes they do.

[Reverend Greg]

Apples and avocados...I'm allergic to nuts.
Have you ever had a deep fried avocado?You wont care about eating anything else...ever
(G)

[wildWoman]

Hm...not too many choices up here. The hardy apple trees only grow ping pong ball sized fruit here. I suppose a birch would work, providing us with plenty of fire starter and, towards the end of our lives, enough bark to build a miniature birch bark canoe. If we live to be 100.

[LowKey]

You can tap some birch like you can maple so you could have a sugar source with those birch.

Has anyone ever grown PawPaw?
Not that it's a good keeper...just curious.

What about fig trees? You might get them to grow outside up to Rhode Island, not much farther.
Or Olives in the more temperate places.