Under Wraps

The cooking-apple tree in the garden has produced lots of big apples this year. I took to shaking the tree on several occasions to knock some of the apples down, which I gather is a good way to ensure a smaller but better-quality crop. Despite the fairly substandard weather this Summer the fruit is a lot redder and more inviting-looking than in previous years, too (my vine is bedecked with a dramatic quantity of grapes, though whether any of these will survive to ripeness I don't know - we really need a bit more sun). I took some apples down to my mother who stewed and baked them and pronounced them very good indeed.

She advised me to wrap them in newspaper to store them over the Winter, which I've begun to do. It helps stop damp and rot spreading from apple to apple. Previously I simply popped them into tubs and hoped for the best, ending up losing quite a lot to rot or waterlogging when the rain got in. This has never really been that much of a problem as the tree fruits so heavily there have always been plenty left to be turned into purée and chutney, but picking through the bad fruit is a generally revolting process which is best avoided. We'll see what happens with these! Fifteen minutes' work this afternoon filled a tub, but there is more to come ...