Apocasolstice

Dear Readers, I know that you are all waiting until the threat of the Mayan Apocalypse has passed before you shower me with Xmas comments, home-made gifts and cards…

Fortunately, one person took the precaution of sending my gifts beforehand, just in case…

Eleanor Woodcock (even named after a bird), aged 11, is a keen watcher of wildlife and birds. She has a wonderful blog (Birding in the Garden) - I suggest you go and look at it.

Eleanor has written bags of brilliant bird poems on her blog; she knew that I was interested in trees and wrote some terrific tree poetry for me.

Eleanor also sent me a lovely jar of her Epic Plum, Blackberry & Spiced Apple Jam, which we will be testing shortly.

In the meantime, enjoy the Winter Solstice, light a Yule fire tonight and keep it burning till Christmas, enjoy Eleanor’s charming poems and drawings and pray that tomorrow does actually arrive, so that you can finally deliver my presents…

If I don’t have time to post again or cannot struggle out from under the mound of cards and gifts, have a lovely, super Cool Yule!

the Urbane Forager

XXX

Picknik Aborted Due To Fruiticide!

In my guise, as the Urbane Forager, I organise free local fruit picking group activities. I was looking forward to an event aimed at picking an abundant source of apples next to the big Asda roundabout in Chandlers Ford.

I gaffer-taped my fruit picker to my bike and cycled the few miles down to the previously arranged meeting point. On the way I checked out a walnut tree and there were a few down, so I quickly gathered them up.



Anyone For Jousting



When I arrived at the location I was puzzled because I could not see the huge apple tree, laden with fruit that I had spotted from the road the month before. I gazed about, to see if I had somehow been mistaken and found only a Crab Apple tree.



Too Small!



Then I noticed (what at first glance looked like) a lot of windfall apples on the ground… Then I saw masses, piles of apples all over the ground… Then, with a mounting sense of horror, I saw the freshly sawn STUMP!



The Naked Stump and Piles of Apples



Someone had cut down this lovely big apple tree in its moment of prime – full of glorious ripe apples. The piles of apples were now smashed and rotting on the ground; the buzzing of wasps was loud in my ears, or was that my indignation, my outrage...



What A Dreadful Waste!



The government tells us that we should eat our five a day.

They tell us to worry about national food security.

We are told we should not waste food.

I rang the Eastleigh borough council tree services department but they had no knowledge of any work being done here recently. I was shocked again, when they told me that a local woman had recently applied for a nearby apple tree to be cut down, because children had been throwing apples! This might be a reason for reprimanding/punishing children but is surely not a motive for cutting down mature fruit trees.



We Cannot Use These



I do understand that there might have been a good reason for cutting down the tree; if it had blown down in the recent wind, then we were simply unlucky with our timing but if it was cut down for other reasons, I would like to know why - and also why the apples were not harvested and put to good use first (I could have made gallons of cider out of them, for instance).

There is rarely a good reason for wasting this much food – there would have been several hundred kilograms off apples on this tree prior to its being felled.



Ruby Reds



On the positive side of things, I spotted several new trees on my journey home and checked out a lovely apple tree in Swathling, which my friend Diane had mentioned to me. It had delicious, juicy, ruby apples that had pinkish/red flesh when you bit them – Just like the apples at Fleming Park Sports Centre in Eastleigh.

Right Through!

I have got permission to pick them on Saturday afternoon, so I propose a Picknik around 2.00pm. Followers of the Urbane Forager will be notified of the location tomorrow.

A Nice Pear

After my whistle-stop tour of the firm apples and pert plums near my work place, my mind turns to another voluptuous shape – the pendulous pear. I located another tree this week. I don’t think I am going to have too much competition collecting the fruit of this one because you need a boat to reach it (unless you want to wade through the mud at low tide).

These Pears Grow by the River

We know at least four other trees locally, all laden with fat, juicy pears; they won’t be ripe for a couple of months but like a good boy scout, I'm always pre-peared (ho ho).

These Nice Round Pears Came From Pear Tree Green!

It’s quite easy to spot fruit trees when they are heavy with fruit; the branches bend down and droop in a recognisable way. This also helps to make picking the fruit more simple when it ripens. As you remove the fruit though, the branches become lighter and they may spring back up out of reach - so you will need a picking tool. I have a couple of these and a small one for the children. I also made a couple myself (see the Phantom Limb Fruit Picker) and they have proved to be invaluable, especially when it comes to cherries apples and pears, which tend to grow on tall trees.

More Pears Ripening

It never ceases to amaze me that you can find trees full of delicious pears, hanging around on public ground, just waiting to be picked. I think I may try pressing some in my cider press this year, pear juice is lovely and it can be frozen too. Having said this, another good way of preserving the juice would be to make Perry! Last year we made 8 gallons of tasty Cider and I’m starting to think that September/October will be very busy months for us this year.

These Ones Are Delicious - We Had Loads Last Year

Lunchtime Lunatic

I'm quite sure that my work mates think I'm nuts, so here's confirmation for them...

Apple Trees

I popped out this lunchtime (on my bike) in an attempt to capture some of the variety and abundance of fruit in the area.

First Came The Apples

Apple Trees

I wanted to check on the local apple trees for progress and plum trees for picking.

Apple

I was not disappointed.

Apple

The apple trees looked just great.

Apple

They were loaded.

Red Apples

So many different types...

Green Apples

They taste just as different as they look.

Green Apple

Every apple pip that grows, will result in a new and interesting variety of apple tree.

Green Apples

Which is a very good reason to experiment.

Red Apples on a Branch

Then came the plums.

Red ones.

Plums

Cherry like ones.

Yellow Plums

Purple grape like ones with a dusky bloom.

Purple Plums

Very jucy yellow/greengages that burst in your mouth.

Greengages

Firm fleshed speckled ones.

Speckled Plum

A veritable cornucopia.

Peachy Plums

How long did it take me to take all these photographs and sample the plums?

Yellow Plums

Half a lunch hour!

Cherry Like Plums

The cherries have mostly finished now but there was a similar variety and amount here last month.

Traditional Plums

Walnut Whip-Round

I seem to be inexplicably tuned into walnut trees at the moment. It must have been something to do with my recent blog entry. I'm now seeing them everywhere I go, they do look distinctive though and have a unique leaf pattern. It's strange, I though these trees were exotic and now I realise that they are fairly common - I just didn't recognise them before.


As I mentioned in the post Cider Inside 'Er Insides There are also walnut trees in Walnut Avenue (Swathling), although you can only collect nuts from the trees on public ground unles you get permission.There are also trees in Chandlers Ford and I know at least one in the Southampton parks.

Walnuts On The Tree

Most people only eat walnuts at Xmas, but they are a very healthy food and can be used in all sorts of cakes and breads. Our last batch has kept very well (they must be kept dry) and we still have a few left from our 2010 haul.

Yet More Apple Trees

I noticed a lot of apple trees in the wayside too and frequently saw flashes of yellow and red plums in the hedgerows, which just goes to show that the area where I live and work is not some kind of freakish Garden of Eden...

You need to look - but you also need to see!

Walnuts and Their Singular Leaves

I had to travel to Bury St. Edmunds this weekend (no, I didn't cycle). On the way out I noticed an immature tree on the airport roundabout. We stopped on the A11 for a break and there was a huge walnut tree over hanging the car park. On arrival at our destination in Bury, we had a short walk to stretch our legs and I spied yet another big tree laden with fruit.

These Walnuts Have Their Own Guard Horse

Green Walnuts

It’s always best to leave most of the walnuts until they ripen, in the traditional way. They will keep for half a year or longer in their shells as long as you keep them in a cool dry place. We used them to make chocolate brownies, lots of other cakes and a very healthy trail mix.

A Ripe Walnut, Ready to Drop

Everything about Walnuts seems to require an unfeasibly large reservoir of patience. If you pickle them now, it is a three week process and then they should be ready in six months, just in time for Xmas. If you make Walnut Schnapps, it should be ready in about a year (or five). So it may be a nice present for Xmas next year at best.

Good Things (Walnut Schnapps) Come To Those Who Wait

 You can make Pickled Green Walnuts from the unripe fruit, preferably around June, as long as the hard nut has not yet formed. They are known as the King of Pickles. I don’t know why this is; I made some last year and they were not even vaguely princely. Always wear rubber gloves when preparing green walnuts otherwise the juice, which is a natural dye, will stain your hands and clothes brown.

Green Walnuts - They Smell Exotic Too

Ingredients



1.8kg fresh young walnuts

215g salt

950ml malt vinegar

470g packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon freshly grated root ginger

Method

1.            Pierce each one of the young walnuts all over with a sharp fork or darning needle. Place the walnuts into a bowl and fill with enough water to cover. Stir in the salt to make brine. Put a plate on top, to make sure they are submerged and soak the walnuts for a week. Drain the mixture and make the brine again. Soak for another week.

2.            After the second week, drain the walnuts and lay them out on racks to dry in a sunny place. In 3-5 days they will turn black. Once they have all turned black, they are ready to pickle.

3.            In a large saucepan, stir together the malt vinegar, dark brown sugar, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to boil and then add the walnuts. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4.            Spoon the walnuts into sterile jars and fill with the syrup to within 1 cm of the top. Seal with lids and rings. Store in the refrigerator or sterilise in a hot water bath for 10 minutes before cooling to room temperature and storing in a cool dark cupboard.

I also made some Walnut Schnapps. In Denmark this is seen as the very best type of Schnapps and it certainly is a singular liqueur. It starts life as a strange looking, emerald infusion, which gradually turns a deeper green.

The Early Stages of a Lengthy Process

Later it changes into an oily black/brown liquid and the final stages it turns a deep mahogany brown.

Recipe:

• Cut 5-6 large unripe walnuts (picked around July) in quarters.
• Put them in a clean glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Cover well with clear, unflavoured vodka - 40% (80 proof). Leave some air above the vodka.
• Steep for 5 months - in a dark place at room temperature,
  18-20°C (64-68°F).
• From time to time, or at least once a month, shake lightly with the lid off the jar - or stir with a spoon - to allow some oxydation.
• Strain and filter your infusion into a clean glass bottle or jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Store for at least 7 months in a dark place at room temperature before serving.

N.B. The longer you store your walnut schnapps - up to 5 years or even longer - the better it gets.

• Finally filter once more.

Always Wear Rubber Gloves!

The taste changes radically as the drink matures and (after about a year) it ends up as a tasty after dinner dram, something to be nipped sparingly with good friends. If it tastes too strong, it can be diluted up to ten times with more of the plain vodka base, according to taste but you will need to leave it a couple of weeks further to properly infuse.

Having said all of this, and tried a few ideas; I think you should leave walnuts on the tree to ripen. They are much nicer and you can do far more with them this way.

Pretty As A Plum

Better For You Than M & M's

We decided to check out a road where I had spotted lots of fallen fruit last year, to see if any wild/cherry plums were ready to drop yet. As we arrived, we saw quite a few plums on the road and pavement. We also found that the road bordered a cricket pitch, which was even better news.

A tree-full of yellow plums or mirabelles

We found small, slightly pointy, yellow plums (possibly mirabelles) – they looked a bit like pixie hats. We also found reddish orange plums, which were slightly rounder. There were also some green fruits and purple ones but these were still a week off being ripe.

A Tree-full of Red Plums

I find it a real pleasure to gaze up into a tree laden down with colourful fruit – just to appreciate the sheer beauty that Mother Nature can conjure up. This wonder is only enhanced when you know that you can also pluck and eat this sweet, candy coloured cornucopia and it is all hanging there for free.

You Little Beauties

The easiest way to get the ripe plums off the tree is to shake them into a blanket, this way you only get the most ripe ones. There are bound to be a few that miss the blanket or fall on people’s heads, so it’s best to get children to hold it. It takes a while to train them to keep their arms out wide and straight but once you have achieved this, you can martial them into position and give the appropriate branch a good old Heave Ho!

The Good, Old-Fashioned, Blanket Method

What seems odd to me, is that hardly anyone else is going to utilise this gift; and that they will fall onto the ground to be consumed by the birds and wasps. Well, today we saved a few Kilos from this inglorious fate and ate quite a few on the way too.

A Few Kilos of Colourful Fruit

They look so gorgeous and colourful; it almost seems a shame to eat them.