The Last of the Apples

After a surprisingly frosty start this morning, and with gales forecast for the next couple of days, I thought it might be the time to pick in the remaining apples.  There are still some clinging to the topmost branches but those are just too high for me to get hold of, even balancing on the two-step mini-ladder thingy we've got and trying to get hold of them with the walking stick.  They'll make a tasty treat for the birds anyway.

One of the previous owner's of our house was apparently a very frugal Scottish gentleman, and it was he who planted the fruit trees.  It's only a very modest garden but we've got three plum trees, two apple trees, a cherry tree and apparently a fig tree (although I've never actually seen it fruit.)  I've never managed to avail myself of any of the cherries as last summer the starlings stripped the tree bare in a feeding frenzy before I could pick any in, and this year the tree just didn't fruit at all.  Last summer we couldn't keep time with all the plums we had and gave bag-loads away to the neighbours.  This year there were only enough plums for perhaps half a dozen puddings. 

The apples this year have been fairly steady for the past couple of months and I've very much enjoyed the purple ones - apparently a variety called Sceptre - which are sweet and juicy and just right for an eating apple.  The goldeny-green ones are much more sour and have only been eaten when stewed up with lots of sugar - I don't know what variety these are.

I do tend to curse them a bit when I'm trying to manouvre the lawn-mower around the myriad fruit trees or when the clean washing wraps itself around the many branches, but I love being able to step just outside my back door to pick in free fruit as and when I need it. 

Comments

[sharie]

Having your own fruit trees is lovely. Those apples look really tasty.

[Wendy from Scotland]

Just catching up on your last week of posts - hope you're feeling better, that sounds so sore you poor thing! I'm sick with a chest infection just now so I can sympathise. Love the slippers btw, what a find!

Wendy.

[Frugal Trenches]

They look absolutely delightful....hmm, maybe I should try & make an apple pie?!