"lloyd" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:13:08 +0000, K wrote:

lloyd writes
Have a few small crab apple trees with a lovely blossom in Spring but
I dread the idea of all the apples falling at the end of the year, so
I cut off many branches to keep them small. However it turns out the
crabs don't drop their apples and the wildlife is having a field day
feasting on them, especially during the snow.

Why do you dread the idea of them falling?

Ignorance. The mess in my oh so perfect garden, oh so perfect world.
But you're right, who cares. I caught on soon enough that this land is
not ours and we should share whatever we have. Now I reap the blessing
of the wildlife feeding to live on what I considered a nuisance. How
blind was I!

Presumably you know that you can make a very nice fruit jelly from crab
apples, to serve with fatty meats,

No meats for me.

THAT explains everything!

Rusty Hinge writes

Coming back from school when an anklebiter I used to nosh crabapples
from a tree on the way - they were long-bodied with golden sins,
blushed with pink/red. Very sweet when ripe.

From the same garden I'd nick geans too.

It should be said that one of my mates lived there innit.

I haven't lived anywhere where there has been 'wild' crabs. Lived for a
few years in Kent where there were damsons in the hedgerows - that was
good. It's difficult to make anything other than excellent jam from
damsons.

Not a lot around here apart from blackberries and a few sloes. And a
mulberry tree in the park opposite.
--
Kay

Sacha wrote:

snip

Golden sins that cause a blush are the most delicious. ;-)

Ho yus! Definitely a Freudian typo.

--
Rusty

K wrote:

I haven't lived anywhere where there has been 'wild' crabs. Lived for a
few years in Kent where there were damsons in the hedgerows - that was
good. It's difficult to make anything other than excellent jam from
damsons.

Not a lot around here apart from blackberries and a few sloes. And a
mulberry tree in the park opposite.

We have sloes, golden and black bullaces, crabapples, some whitebeam and
rowan, lots of blackberries and dewberries, wild strawberries and lots more.

Not only that, but it's traditional in East Angular to plant fruit trees
in the hedgerows - largely apples. The hedges on my smallholding (as
was) had some lovely old varieties.

--
Rusty

On Sat, 2 Jan 2010 12:08:30 +0000, Malcolm
wrote:


In article , K
writes
lloyd writes
Have a few small crab apple trees with a lovely blossom in Spring but
I dread the idea of all the apples falling at the end of the year, so
I cut off many branches to keep them small. However it turns out the
crabs don't drop their apples and the wildlife is having a field day
feasting on them, especially during the snow.

Why do you dread the idea of them falling?

Presumably you know that you can make a very nice fruit jelly from crab
apples, to serve with fatty meats, or just to eat like jam? Made in the
usual fashion - boil the crabs till very soft, then strain through a
fine cloth or use a fruit press to extract juice, add 1lb sugar for
every pint of juice, boil until a small drop on a cold plate wrinkles
when you push it gently with your finger, then put into jars immediately.

Crab apples are a rich source of pectin which will help other jams and
jellies to set. Some neighbours who make jams and jellies for sale come
each autumn and take a boxful away from our small but prolific tree to
use in this way.

Some fruits have enough pectin of their own not to need additional, like
blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries and most plums, but others,
like blackberries, strawberries and rhubarb need to have pectin added -
unless you like runny jam and jelly, that is!

Yum yum.