Our very big Bramley Apple Tree has yet again produced a huge crop of fruit, much of which is already on the ground. This village needs someone with a big apple press, where we could all take our crops for juice.
The tree grows just behind the pool's Pump House, and had become a tad unruly over the past few years. In fact it had begun to grow back over the roof again, and even out towards the pool itself. It had to be seriously pruned.
The last thing I want is for hundreds of apples and leaves to fall onto the pool's winter cover, so some quite hefty branches needed to come down. I used my son's electric chainsaw for the job as it was more practical, and it did the job very well. It's the first time I'd used an electric.
I still have quite a bit of aesthetic tidying-up to do, but the main work is done; it took me two days.
Bramleys are the world's best cooking apple. They have a flavour like no other. Unfortunately they are also huge croppers, and the waste is terrible. There is nothing to compare with a blackberry-n-apple crumble made with Bramleys.
They would also make a wonderful dry cider.
Such a shame yu can't find anything to do with all those apples. Perhaps the neighours would like some? Set them out on the roadside in cardboard boxes labelled "Free"?
ReplyDeleteWe have one neighbour who comes to take them. She makes preserves, and loves them. Otherwise, everyone has so much fruit here that there'd be no takers. They wouldn't know what a Bramley was!
DeleteIt is indeed an abundance of apples. Here it happens with lemons.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine. Sadly our Winters are too cold to have outdoor planted Lemon trees; they have to be in pots and taken indoors for the Winter.
DeleteThe Apple Orphanage here takes in surplus fruit. You just drop off your full sacks, the fruit is then graded and you are rewarded with bottles of their fruit juice.
ReplyDeleteWe used to do that with all the surplus apples at our old house. Here, with just a small tree, we eat them all.
That's what we need in our village. I'm sure there are plenty of old grape presses still around, and a garden waste 'mincer' would prepare the fruit for pressing. An experienced cider-maker would be useful too.
DeleteBramleys do make and excellent dry cider.... I can vouch for that!
ReplyDeleteOur first ever 2CV meeting was near Canterbury... nearby there was a cider farm with a small local produce shop. And amongst other things that we went in for [meat and veg for the barbie] he was selling single-varietal Bramley Apple cider.... we bought some to wash down the food.... the next day, we went back for three more litres!!
They have such a good flavour, I'm not surprised that they make good cider. Such a shame to see them again thick on the ground.
DeleteIt seems to be a very good year for apples. Where I walk the dog in the mornings used to be a childrens' home ( Highfield Oval. Harpenden....it opened in 1913 and I assume the tree were planted around that time) This year they are all laden with apples. The religious community( YWAM) that now occupies the site have an apple fest later in the year, but they will struggle to use them all!
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly been a very good year for fruit here. All our trees are laden; mostly too much so.
Deletehttps://youtu.be/AuwdtLO9Mm0 Nice old English folk song.
ReplyDeleteI do know the song. An old classic.
DeleteElectric chainsaw? Gulp! How will you drive home without arms?
ReplyDeleteI have TWO petrol ones, an Husqvarna and a Scheppach (the best), but I'd never used my son's electric one before. It's good for clambering around in trees because the chain stops moving as soon as you release the trigger. It would have been better if it was battery operated.
DeleteI have never used a chainsaw, or learned to weld, two things I once wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased to say that my wife and I have done both.
DeleteExcept perhaps a bramley and blackberry pie with puff pastry!
ReplyDeleteYes. Lady M tends to make crumbles, but a pie is excellent too.
DeleteI have never seen a large crop of apples like the one you show. Will the wildlife eat some apples from the ground? On my property, wildlife climb in to the tree to take fruit.
ReplyDeleteWe saw a mother Roe Deer with two little ones quite near the house yesterday, so maybe they are having some. It's quite common to see bite marks on fallen apples.
DeleteI know nothing about apple presses to make cider but do they take up much room? Could it be you that has the apple press for the village?
ReplyDeleteIt would need a special building of its own. I would have loved to be the one offering the service, but I'm not here long enough any more.
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