Crab Apple jelly and a bird feast




      Our funny' stick-like' crab apple tree that we planted three years ago has come up trumps yet again. We don't prune it or shape it in any way and it does look just like four nearly vertical sticks, the blossom is nothing striking or prepossessing but boy does this strange little tree produce a serious crop.
      I can report that I did try eating one of these little jewels but it was incredibly sour, the birds and wildlife are more than welcome to the considerable surplus..
      We'll pick enough of the crop to produce half a dozen jars of crab apple jelly and the rest we'll leave for the birds in the hard winter weather. There's a real pleasure watching the blackbirds, redwings, song thrushes, fieldfares and mistle thrushes having a Christmas feast on the tree and it's right outside the living room window in the back garden.
      I'm thinking of buying a trail camera to spy on the  birds because they fly away as soon as they see you or movement even if it's behind the glass.
      Meanwhile here's a crabapple sunset.




Comments

  1. Wow. That is a heavy crop. I have a crab that I started many years ago from a cutting, off a neighbor's tree. It bears a heavy crop but not like yours. Its also an excellent pollinator for my regular apple trees (Mutsu, Gravenstein, Gold delish, Red delish). I make a pickled, highly spiced whole crabapple canning that goes well with turkey at Thanksgiving. I enjoy your posts. Bravo!

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  2. The old orchard men and growers here used cut a blossom covered branch, put it in a bucket of water in their orchard to aid pollination of their apple and pear trees. A grower gave me this three years ago as a sapling and it is unbelievably productive. Some of the old orchards have Crab Apple trees in the groves and everyone is a different variety. Red ones, orange fruit and yellow fruit. Sue makes a crystal clear jelly that's good with game, fowl and meat. glad you enjoy the posts. Regards, John

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