But not just any old apples.
(Very new ones in fact.) My gardener, Nick, told me the other day that the way to tell whether
apples are ready to eat is by the colour of the pips: if they’ve turned brown,
that means the tannins have set and they’re good to go. Or something.
So I had three fairly hefty windfalls (not really, there
wasn’t much wind today, but they fell anyway) and I cut them open. The pips were still whiteish, but “well, I figured,
what the hell?”* I had a pork chop to
eat up.
The apple sauce was better than the pork. In fact, it was superb. (I take no credit, all I did was peel, chop and
cook them, with a dash of sugar and lemon juice.) There’s a good yield on the tree this year, so
by November I’ll be all appled-out, but I’ll have a full freezer.
*Spot the quote!
There is something extra rewarding about foraging food from your own back (to the future) yard.
ReplyDeleteRog got there first!
ReplyDeleteI expect you also know that a ripe Cox's rattles when shaken?
Yes, I vaguely remember being taught that as a child, probably by my grandmother, who was full of folk wisdom. Thank you for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteThese are Bramleys, so it might not work for them, but I'll give it a try in the autumn.