Friday 5 November 2010

The Wild Apple.


The hedgerows here on the farm are full of wild apple trees. They advertise their presence in the Spring when - in a good year - they are bursting with blossom. This year their blossom was exceptional, and also very beautiful to look at.

Now, of course, they have borne fruit. The wild winds of earlier this week have stripped most of the leaves from the trees in our fields and most of the crab apples from the branches. The heifers, who are still out (although they will be taken in any day now as the fields are so wet underfoot) have had a veritable feast. They are very sour apples but the beast seem to love them. One day earlier in the week the orangey/red crab apples of one tree lay thick on the ground. I made a mental note to return with my camera to record this but when I did so, every one had been eaten by the heifers, who were standing around the tree.

However - high up the big pasture one tree is holding on to its crop of crab apples for dear life. Every tree in the hedgerow seems to be full of fieldfares and redwings today. I fully expect they will descend on this apple tree before the weekend is out and strip it bare. There was a day when somebody would have collected the apples for crab apple jelly, but it is a chore to make and really we eat such a little bit of it - maybe once or twice over the winter with cold meats etc., that it is easier to buy a jar. Once opened it quickly goes mouldy.

So here - in a last gasp of Autumn - I give you a photograph of this magnificent crop of wild crab apples. Now we can look forward to another lot of blossom in April and it can't come soon enough for me.

18 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

oh lovely to see all those apples, even if they are crab...

Jinksy said...

At least the photo of the apples will last longer than the fruit! :)

angryparsnip said...

You live in a wonderful area...
Lovely photo...

cheers, parsnip

Loren said...

Talk about your Fall Bounty!

Heather said...

I have never seen a tree so laden with fruit. At least they are not wasted if the heifers and birds like to eat them. I would love another crab apple tree - they have year round interest. We had one years ago in previous garden - it had so much fruit and I made so much jelly one year, I had to use an old pillow case for the jelly bag! It was delicious.

MorningAJ said...

I make crab apple jelly every year. You can use it like jam too. I put it in sandwiches for work packed lunches. Goes well with a good sharp cheese.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I have to laugh. Of course, I have a dog named Apple, she's Edward's best friend. And yes, she is frequently wild!!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I've never seen anything like it - it's beautiful.

Cloudia said...

Glorious!

Guess that rain helped :)



Wasn't the election exciting?

Anonymous said...

That's the most abundant crop of apples of any type I've ever seen!

Caroline Gill said...

Amazing! What abundance!

Sadly the word verification was 'Inedabl' ... which I don't suppose is true, even if the word 'sour' comes to mind!

Tess Kincaid said...

Glorious apples! What a wonderful image.

steven said...

weaver - perhap you could pick them and offer them up to someone who'd like to bang out a batch of jam?!!! steven

Elisabeth said...

Stunning wild apples, Weaver. They reflect still more of the passage of seasons. Thanks.

Unknown said...

WOW what a tree and what an abundance of apples gorgeous.

Dave King said...

My vicarious jaunts into the countryside via your blog keep me going.

Unknown said...

Such a laden tree, pity no-one wants the apples!

Bovey Belle said...

The sight of that wonderfully-laden tree made my hands itch to start picking! Because of us possibly (I live in hope!) moving, I have forgone the temptation of our local tree this year though, so no stock of crab-apple jelly and no crab-apple wine in the demijohn.