Tea? (Part 2)

[phil_hg_uk]

Don't like green tea, don't like peppermint tea.......Taylors Yorkshire for me (after all it made Phil the man that he is today)

 

[TVC]

If it's brown and contains milk and sugar then it's tea, otherwise it's just a poncy infusion. Discussion over.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

And now a quick word from rockys sponsors

 

[potsy]

Taylors Yorkshire for me (after all it made Phil the man that he is today)

I have a large box of Yorkshire in the cupboard, though after reading the above I might put it in the 'for sale' forum

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I was asking at work if we had any crab apple trees, as I fancy making jelly. We do apparently, tucked away in a corner.

But then on the way home, I actually looked at the trees alongside the bus lane past Morrisons:

View attachment 27630

Is it a crab apple? The apple looks right, but a quick google suggests the leaf is a bit rounder than a crab apple...

And no, I don't mean the pencil, that's there for scale!

Anyway, I just wolfed down a cornish pasty and some new potatoes crushed with lots of butter...

Nope - crab apples are always green and won't be ready for a while yet. There are ornamental apple trees. Maybe this one was planted after the supermarket was built - landscaping type thing?

 

[Arch]

Nope - crab apples are always green and won't be ready for a while yet. There are ornamental apple trees. Maybe this one was planted after the supermarket was built - landscaping type thing?

I'm confused now. All the references to crabapples I've googled have them at least partly red, some of them all red. And crab apple jelly is a pinky golden colour... Is that down to the oxidation of the juice then?

Opinion seems to be that all apples are edible anyway, and this suggests the the definition of crab apple is just on size anyway...

"The crabapple is an example of a common ornamental that also produces edible fruit. Apples and crabapples are differentiated strictly on the size of their fruit. Crabapples are defined as those varieties with fruit 2 inches or less in diameter. Those with larger fruit are apples. At maturity, crabapple fruits vary from yellow to orange to bright red. The fruit of some crabapple varieties color and ripen in August, others mature in the fall. (The colorful, persistent fruit of many of the newer crabapple varieties are actually an important ornamental characteristic.) While all crabapple fruit can be used in making jellies and preserves, large-fruited varieties, such as 'Whitney' and 'Chestnut,' are the best."

So it seems like it might be worth scrumping a few and having a go. The worst that happens is that I waste some sugar....

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I'm confused now. All the references to crabapples I've googled have them at least partly red, some of them all red. And crab apple jelly is a pinky golden colour... Is that down to the oxidation of the juice then?

Opinion seems to be that all apples are edible anyway, and this suggests the the definition of crab apple is just on size anyway...

"The crabapple is an example of a common ornamental that also produces edible fruit. Apples and crabapples are differentiated strictly on the size of their fruit. Crabapples are defined as those varieties with fruit 2 inches or less in diameter. Those with larger fruit are apples. At maturity, crabapple fruits vary from yellow to orange to bright red. The fruit of some crabapple varieties color and ripen in August, others mature in the fall. (The colorful, persistent fruit of many of the newer crabapple varieties are actually an important ornamental characteristic.) While all crabapple fruit can be used in making jellies and preserves, large-fruited varieties, such as 'Whitney' and 'Chestnut,' are the best."

So it seems like it might be worth scrumping a few and having a go. The worst that happens is that I waste some sugar....

Ah - OK - I stand corrected. I have always thought that crab apples are the ones which tend to grow wild in hedgrows etc. They deposit light green fruit on the ground in late autumn. We have some of the more "ornamental" ones near here. I tried one once. Very unpalatable but not acidic at all - just blah. I'm sure sugar would have been a good idea (and maybe some lemon juice too in this particular case).

It's a bit of a try and test thing then Arch if you try your fruits.

 

[Arch]

Ah - OK - I stand corrected. I have always thought that crab apples are the ones which tend to grow wild in hedgrows etc. They deposit light green fruit on the ground in late autumn. We have some of the more "ornamental" ones near here. I tried one once. Very unpalatable but not acidic at all - just blah. I'm sure sugar would have been a good idea (and maybe some lemon juice too in this particular case).

It's a bit of a try and test thing then Arch if you try your fruits.

Well, there are so many fruits on these trees, I can pick some off each and still leave some. To make jelly I'll be adding the same weight in sugar, so sweetness should be fine. And my crabapple jelly recipe also has lemon juice in.

I'm really liking the idea of jams and jellies this year. The reserve where I work has blackberries, plums and rosehips, all free! I'm turning into a proper country housewife!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Well, there are so many fruits on these trees, I can pick some off each and still leave some. To make jelly I'll be adding the same weight in sugar, so sweetness should be fine. And my crabapple jelly recipe also has lemon juice in.

I'm really liking the idea of jams and jellies this year. The reserve where I work has blackberries, plums and rosehips, all free! I'm turning into a proper country housewife!

Elderberry syrup is the nectar of the gods I made rosehip syrup one year - it's OK but not worth it all the effort IMHO. Blackberries never get as far as the kitchen usually - nor do the plums . Perhaps I should have a go with crab apples now. But Elderberry is a must!!

 

[Biscuit]

Camomile tea anyone? Trying to reduce caffeine.

 

[Archie_tect]

You can get bags of Yorkshire Teabags at Costco.... 480 to a resealable bag: much cheaper than buying in 80s or 160s! [Just saying, like]...

 

[TVC]

ISS will be going straight over the top of us from west to east at 10.12pm

 

[Biscuit]

ISS will be going straight over the top of us from west to east at 10.12pm

Ok for want of sounding a complete tool... ISS? What does that stand for please? Ta.
* pops outside to look at sky *

 

[Arch]

Ok for want of sounding a complete tool... ISS? What does that stand for please? Ta.
* pops outside to look at sky *

International Space Station.

 

[Arch]

And I just watched it go over. First time I've actually seen it. Thanks TVC for the prompt.