Fruit trees in gardens

[fossyant]

I'll swap ya a pumpkin for a bag of bramleys next year.

Deal.

 

[T4tomo]

Not had the best of years with our apple tree.The last two were bumper crops.

It's actually an apple pie/crumble tree. Neighbour used to ask if she could pick them, we said yes, and they magically turned into crumble and pies. She passed away last year, so I think the tree is feeling sad as we've not had the same crop.

I used to have a similar arrangement with a work colleague (I've since changed jobs, no-one died) . He regularly brought in pheasants and I returned the favour with one of pies I'd made from them.

 

[Gillstay]

We used to rake the left over apples into a circle around the stem of the big apple tree and one year the Fieldfares and Redwings came in during the snow to eat them. About 60 just swooped in ate for a few moments and then flew out again, but continuously. Sat at the window watching with the kids as we ate porridge. A fantastic wildlife spectacle. Never put an old apple in the compost since.

 

[annedonnelly]

We used to rake the left over apples into a circle around the stem of the big apple tree and one year the Fieldfares and Redwings came in during the snow to eat them. About 60 just swooped in ate for a few moments and then flew out again, but continuously. Sat at the window watching with the kids as we ate porridge. A fantastic wildlife spectacle. Never put an old apple in the compost since.

I save windfalls for just such occasions. So far the weather is too mild & the birds aren't feeding in the garden, but if we get a cold spell I'm prepared. They'll be nice & soft for them by then.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Yes it is such a waste. My partner had a large apple tree in her garden a few years back; I collected 3 carrier bags full and gave to my mum who chopped them up and froze them. We advertised the free apples on FB but no-one wanted any. We then left them in a bucket outside on the street and went out one morning to find them thrown all over the road. We have just finished burning the last of the tree after it was cut down, shame really but with no-one wanting the apples it was just a mess everywhere

 

[Arrowfoot]

Lets not forget fermenting apples and fruits lying on ground with birds and animals having a go. All it takes is an hour and there will be a show to watch.

 

[annedonnelly]

Yes it is such a waste. My partner had a large apple tree in her garden a few years back; I collected 3 carrier bags full and gave to my mum who chopped them up and froze them. We advertised the free apples on FB but no-one wanted any. We then left them in a bucket outside on the street and went out one morning to find them thrown all over the road. We have just finished burning the last of the tree after it was cut down, shame really but with no-one wanting the apples it was just a mess everywhere

That's so sad. There are families struggling to feed their children and we all know the benefits of fresh foods and yet people won't take free stuff
And here's me already planning what to do with the glut of food from the allotment I don't have! (I'm on the waiting list...)

 

[Rusty Nails]

We used to have a lovely old apple tree in our garden until it blew down in strong winds a few years back. Got loads of apples every year for ourselves and friends/neighbours. I am not certain what variety they were but very similar to Cox's.

We still get plenty of apples and plums from neighbours trees that overhang the bottom of our garden.

Several neighbours put boxes of their spare apples outside their houses for passers-by to take rather than have them go to waste.

 

[DRM]

My Grandad loved gardening and as a child we would come home with fresh tomatoes or arms full of rhubarb, my mum would make rhubarb crumble and hand them out to others in the family, was really top notch forced sticks too! Could eat some of that now with some custard mmmm!

 

[oldwheels]

My neighbour had two apple trees and one pear tree which produced a glut which was available to anybody. She died and the new people did not like trees so cut down the pear and the eating apple trees but left the cooking apples. They have no idea what to do with them but some are put out for anybody who wants them and the rest get eaten by blackbirds mostly. They are currently away on holiday but I do not feel comfortable going over and helping myself.
They also had rhubarb just over the fence and I used to just reach over to get some. It was untidy apparently so got hoicked out.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I couldn't believe it. Riding along I saw apples crossing the lane. As I got up to a driveway there was the owner picking up apples and chucking them out of the gate into the road. He was actually picking them up so no extra effort required to put them in a box/bucket for others. I do despair of folks sometimes

We eat, one way or another, all apples, plums and pears that grow in our garden. Mrs 26 loves growing and eating fruit.

 

[Ridgeway]

Just picked our apples this week (very late i know) best crop for years and way too many for us so spent some time today delivering boxes of apples to various friends around the area. We still have more than enough to keep us going until next year.

Last month we picked 3kgs of damsons from our neighbours tree, now turned to jam

 

[DRM]

We planted a morello cherry tree this spring, and managed to get …….wait for it…….four cherries

 

[All uphill]

At the risk of boasting I'm all thrilled to tell you that we have a good crop of black grapes this year for the first time. They are even sweet(ish).

Surprising after a poor summer.

They will be frozen and go on top of my porridge for the next few weeks.

 

[Reynard]

It's been a pants year for fruit this year here chez Casa Reynard. No stone fruit worth picking, one solitary fig, but surprisingly, a decent crop of grapes. Mine are green (phoenix) and are almost sweet enough for eating straight off. I do have some apples (mainly where I can't reach!), but the muntjac get to them as soon as they fall off the tree. Poor year for nuts as well, as the squirrels are having a go at the holly berries - never seen that before.

But I have managed to forage some apples. Some kind of russett from a nearby hedgerow that have really sweetened with keeping, plus this afternoon, One Bites, Green Harvey and Lord Burleigh apples from the community orchard in the village. No one takes them as they're keeping apples and need to be stored prior to use. But I've got the space, and they're free, so why not.

I've also foraged some medlars and some quince pears. Not everyone's cuppa, but useful in their own right.

I'll be using the One Bites to make grape and apple jelly for my morning toast. The others will migrate into crumbles, I reckon.

BTW, if you have a surfeit of either plums, cooking apples or pears, then make fruit butter. It's really easy. Clean (peel, core, stone) your fruit and weigh. Weigh out half the amount of sugar and set aside. In a big pan, put your fruit, plus about half a mug of water, and cook till really tender. Add the sugar slowly. Then cook down on a low heat until really thick - you should be able to draw a clear channel in the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Then jar up. This isn't as sweet as jam, but is really good on hot buttered toast, or as a cake filling, eastern european style.