Small fruits

The Common's apple trees are again well laden with fruit, although this year they're noticeably smaller, more like over sized crab apples or large plums, that said, they may now be bite sized but they're still just as tasty; the same can be said for our neighbour ancient cooking apple tree, usually laden with gorgeous fruits, the source of countless pies and crumbles; it's going to take a hell of a lot of them to fill a dish this autumn. This is another aspect to consider about climate change, how will it affect the size, quality and quantity of our wild harvests; a resource I'd taken for granted in my societal/food supply breakdown modelling. As I've probably mentioned before, these apocalypses we're enduring continue not to shape up to be the ones I'd been envisaging, planning and prepping for. No zombies either....yet (Shawn of the Dead zombies, not World War Z zombies, please).  

 

Apple blossom

 

There are so many points in nature's ever turning wheel of the year that I look forward to, after all, each season offers up so many gifts. Few gifts though are as fragrant as apple blossom in spring sunshine, it's a heavenly scent, dreamy...it's easy to see why they're associated with love and sensuality.  The Common's apples are just edging into blossom now, with the very first flowers opening up to the sun. Catching their fragrance is a real joy, a joy that over the last decade has grown in abundance as several new apple trees have appeared and burgeoned around the Common. 

Apples

The Common's apple trees are all doing well this year, their boughs are beginning to bow under the weight of their developing fruits. 

Blossom

My favourite of the Common's trees are the apples, there's a about half a dozen of them, all eaters, and all as far as I can see neglected. I love their heady scent when in blossom, their fruit's not to shabby either. Still early in the season the blossoms are yet to achieve their full potential, though had enough scent to them to stir your senses. I think I'm possibly the only one to eat or use the  fruits of these trees, tough skinned though succulent eating, they're a valuable local resource.  On resources, I collected some lovely fresh rhubarb from the lotty this afternoon, I intend to utilise everything mother nature has to offer cultivated and wild. Now's a perfect opportunity to practice your cultivating and foraging skills.

Food of the dead

It being Samhain, I thought it quite apt that we should come across this tree still decked in rosy red apples. What with apples (and nuts, also still bountiful in the forest) being a food of the dead. Still, I was surprised to find a couple of 'eaters' out here in the forest, they were on what would have been a low bank running along the former path of the A31, and it's tempting to think that they're the progeny of a travellers picnic. A sort of accidental Johnny Appleseed type affair. You know, as part of our national tree planting program we really should plant more fruit bearing trees as part of a local, seasonal, sustainable subsistence model. Can you imagine?

Autumn Equinox and second harvest

When the Autumn Equinox with its momentary equilibrium is upon us, we know it's time to prepare for colder darker days to come. It's also second harvest and as we gather in the fruit harvest our minds are naturally drawn to begin a mental audit of what's gone before. What's our year been like? Have we achieved the things we'd planned, and did any of the seeds of our ideas we planted in Spring take, and how many came to fruition? Equinox blessings y'all.

With the fruit harvest in mind, over our common are a few feral apple trees, domestic fruit trees that have found freedom. Some of these trees have been barren for a couple of years now, whilst others produce a bounty of nice edible fruits each year. What never ceases to amaze me is that year on year I appear to be the only one person who utilizes these trees. Why? Have we become so conditioned to getting our food in shops that we can't bring ourselves to break the habit and forage? We collected from the wild for a lot longer than shops have serviced our needs. Or is it that we've just lost our connection to the land, to the seasons and to the joys of an apple straight of the bough. Sad as that is, it's a bonus to me, more apples going free. Carrying on the theme, year on year I see fewer people collecting Blackberries, and honestly, I've not seen children picking for years, all the pickers I see are my age or older. The connection to the land has been broken, a sad state of affairs for sure, and dangerous for both us and the land herself, no connection will inevitably translate to no protection in time.

Crabby

The forest's Crab Apple Trees (Malus sylvestris) are festooned with small fruits, like over zealously decorated Christmas trees. It looks like it's going to be a good year for crab apples. Thing is what to do with them? I know there are things you 'can' do with them, jelly for instance, it's just they're so damn tart, and with even the smallest bite is capable of extracting all the moister from your mouth, should you. I used to think no, Crab Apple jelly was as far as I'd go, good, though with limited application. Then I discovered there was more to Crab Apples than just jelly. You can also do a Crab Apple gin/vodka style thing with them, make tiny toffee apples, pie filling, fruit leather and syrup from them. I read you can even pickle them! Well, that's opened up a whole world of possibilities, man, bring forth the appleocalypse. 

twilight blossom

30 years ago when we first started coming to Creepy Woods there was an already  neglected and overgrown walled orchard, many of the fruit trees had gone, though 4 apple trees survived. We cleared their part of the orchard, including stripping the trees of invading bramble, and for a few years we collected the fruits of our labours. Then the wheel turned, our visits became less frequent, and finally, again neglected, we ignored the the trees, abandoning them to their fate. Now, some years on, only one apple tree remains, I'd imagine that too is living it's twilight years. Fallen, with most of it's roots truncated or exposed, and slowly disappearing beneath the undergrowth, this solitary tree keeps on flowering. Respect.

Scrumping

Hey, found a neglected orchard out in the woods today. Apples, both cookers and eaters, and pears, although they, like other pears I've seen, are not doing so well this year.  Apple pies it is then! Whatever this place was, something went on here, there's a lot fencing of various heights and types, though what ever it was it stopped a while back as much is ruinous. I remember walking this way many years ago and there was something here, but I can't remember what. Patches of wetland foliage suggest there were ponds, now overgrown, and there maybe a bigger pond through the undergrowth.  More exploring to be done. 

Fruit on the bough

I've noticed there are still quite a few clumps and isolated apple on several of the Crab Apple Trees (Malus sylvestris).  Not in bad condition either, remaining firm and still juicy. I tried one, still tart, though I feel winters chill has tamed them some and you'd find uses for them. A good wild resource, especially at this barren time of year for foraging.

Apples!

I'd thought that all the apple trees over the common had failed this year, all suffering from disease or bugs, with what few fruits setting dropping early. I was wrong though. The myriad of paths which cross the common are fluid and have changed over the years, some abandoned for what ever reason, neglected and forgotten, whilst others are created. Along one of these forgotten paths one apple tree has flourished, laden with good sized fruits. The recent weather has beaten down the chest high bracken and I could get through to it. I'd totally forgotten about this tree, a tree I used to pass most days and had gathered apples from on countless occasions. The skin of the apples is tough and a bit tedious to eat, though the flesh beneath is lovely. 

Survivors

It appears my earlier belief that all of the apple blossom had suffered from 'fire blight' or 'Apple blossom weevils' and wouldn't be fruiting, was a a little previous. Only a little, mind. I counted at least a dozen young apples, not enough for my planned cider making, although enough for snack or two whilst out walking the hound.  It may not be many, still, it's nice to see some survivors, I don't like to think of fruit trees failing completely.

Appleless

Sadly nearly all the Apple trees over the common have failed to fruit this year. I think it's either 'fire blight' or 'Apple blossom weevils', although, I'm no expert, I just know it means no apples this year. Bummer, I had plans for them.

Apple blossom

Over the common there a few scattered apple trees, long neglected and in one case much abused by some dog walker who encourages their dog to maul the lower branches (something that bemuses me, what with the apple tree being a source of free food, and of course angers me due to the pointlessness vandalism of something beautiful), these trees hold a special place for me.  Over the years I've cleared them of brambles, pruned dead or diseased branches, and of course benefited from their fruits. As well as a source of seasonal free food (there are two or three varieties, all eaters), they represent a visual indication of seasonal change, and I check in with them every day as I walk. Today the first blossoms were properly emerging, so I can confirm, spring is here.

Cider apples

I've had my eye on this tree, I'm hoping to make some cider later in the year and this tree I'm hoping will provide me with the apples I need. It never ceases to amaze me how few natural resources are utilized, every year nuts go uncollected, blackberries go over on their canes and the apple trees near me drop their fruit unnoticed (other than by me, who's happy for the foraging opportunities). I think it's part of our collective modern mentality that if you haven't bought/paid for something it has no value, how lost we are. Anyway, these apples are developing well and fingers crossed I'll get a good crop and make some palatable cider.

Apples

Small apples are forming on the apple trees over on the common; although there were plenty of sweet smelling blossoms, when the blossom withered so did many many of the shoots, as the tree was suffering some dieback due to a touch of Blossom Wilt. I was pleased today to see so many small fruits developing; the tree has suffered from vandalism and is weakened, more susceptible to disease and I was worried, as much for me as for the tree, as I'd had my eye on this tree as a source of apples to have another go at cider making with.