Apples nearly ready

I can't be quite sure but this may be the same cluster that I shot on 15th May this year. Our grand old tree is laden with apples and they are beginning to drop. I estimate that, unfortunately, we only use about 10% of all the fruit produced, most of it to make apple juice that we freeze.

The juice from these apples is exceptional as it retains its pink colour when extracted. We have quite a process sorted out after many years experience - coring and cutting out the bad bits of large trugs of apples which are then whizzed in a juicer and decanted into a 5 litre water container in the bottom of which is a waterbutt tap. This settles in the fridge overnight and is then poured into milk containers ready for the freezer.

Although we love this old tree to bits (it's a Worcester Pearmain) it does rather dominate the garden, creating shadow and limiting the plants you can grow. But over the years we've had tremendous pleasure from the old girl. The tree is a remnant of the orchard that used to be on the site where our little estate was built in the 1970s so we are very reluctant to see it go.

Mind you, the fruit when they fall, have been a nuisance as they carpet the ground and are a problem to get rid of. Not any more as we invested in a wheelie recycling bin and cut out a very annoying chore.

Apple tree apart, a quieter day today, catching up on administrative tasks and preparing for next week in Cornwall. Another hot day and it looks like another one tomorrow, but after that rain and cooler weather. Hope we get some half decent weather in the South West.