Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: What surplus of good fruit we can’t give away is peeled, sliced and frozen. And for the gnarled apples, there’s a future in cider
With the year in full retreat, and travel limited by the pandemic, the usual seasonal markers have taken on a deeper significance. The apple crop, mostly from a mixture of trees we planted a quarter of a century ago, has been unusually impressive. Robust early blossom, supported by good weather and a welcome abundance of wild bees to act as pollinators, set large quantities of fruit that swelled rapidly as the storms of late summer dumped yet more rain on to already wet soil.
At the peak of the harvest, and with windfalls appearing by the bucketful after every gale, we were hard pressed to gather all the apples available. Several pairs of blackbirds, with new families to take care of, took full advantage of the abundance. We later saw them directing their awkward fledglings towards the best trees. Now we have picked the very last apples from an ancient tree that might well be a Howgate Wonder, or possibly a Peasgood’s Nonsuch – opinions vary.
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