Late season apples will keep for six months or so, if picked at the right time & stored carefully. Only perfect apples should be put into store. Any spoiled apples, which are bruised or pecked, and fallen apples should be eaten immediately because they will soon rot and not keep. Read More »

It is important to look at the apple trees when deciding whether the apples are ready to pick, because the apples mature at different times, depending on:

• the season - this year they are 2 weeks earlier than normal Read More »

When is the right time to pick pears?

Pears should never be allowed to ripen on the tree because:

• they become gritty.
• the area around the core turns brown, soft and mushy.

Pears ripen best off the tree. Read More »

This year’s apple crop are bursting with juice and full of flavour. The wet season is responsible for the juice, and the last few weeks of sun have helped the flavour.
But the apples are about 20% smaller than normal. This is because of the bad weather at the end of June and in July. The apples are normally growing rapidly at that time, so they were badly affected.
An apple picked from the garden this year will taste better than ever!

Nutritional value of Pears

• good source of dietary fibre (4 grams in a medium sized pear)
• good source of Vitamin C
• no saturated fat, salt or cholesterol
• a medium sized pear contains about 100 calories

Conference Pear Latin Name: Pyrus communis

• easy to grow
• upright habit, often seen growing against a wall
• produces a heavy crop of longish khaki-green fruits
• pick early September for long storage, or early October for using fresh
• ripen at room temperature - a soft stem end indicates optimum ripeness

A fig tree in the garden produces figs over quite a long period, and they are delicious.

The figs change colour as they ripen, going from green to a very dark purple.

The fig fruit becomes softer to touch when it is ready for eating.

The Victoria plums in the garden are ripe. They are ready for picking when they are slightly soft. When plums are ripe they start to fall off the tree, so it is important to pick them before they all drop off.

If you have plums to spare this recipe of slow roasted pork with plums, from Joanna’s food, is excellent.

Blackberries, often called Brambles (latin name - Rubus Fruticosus) are ripe and ready for picking. The blackberries do not all ripen at the same time, so the ripe berries should be picked every day, to stop them going mouldy.

The common Fig tree (Latin name - Ficus carica) produces the most delicious fruit.

When the fig is cut open, the juicy flesh is revealed. They can be eaten raw.