Autumn is now here, both in terms of astronomical correctness and in terms of weather. Up until yesterday, September had been hot, dry and very lovely, but yesterday with the equinox, things changed and we finally had some rain and the temperatures have dropped about 10 degrees in two days.
On Wednesday, which was hot and beautiful, I took a camera into the garden to admire the fruits still on the trees. The five figs that will ripen shortly were too far away to get a good image of, but the quince on the tree we planted just four years ago, were looking positively classical in their loveliness, as you can see.
They are a modern cultivar and go a lovely golden yellow and lose their fur as their get to peak ripeness. They also get very big. I cut off loads of immature fruit through the summer, but we still have about 15 that I have allowed to ripen, and the tree is sagging a little. As each fruit weighs at least 12 ounces, and one that came off in my hand on Wednesday weighed one pound and 6 ounces, Poirot didn't chose the safest place in the garden to hide in the shade!
The medlars are swelling, but are not yet ripe. In fact they won't be ready to eat from the tree at all. In mid-November I will pick them, once the leaves are off the tree and put them in egg boxes in a cool place to blet or soften up or start to rot - which ever you prefer. When they are squishy to the touch, we eat them with cheese and perhaps a small glass of port, and they are very good.
We have been juicing over the past two weeks - grapes and apples. Once I get the photos off the big camera, I will do a nice post about the wonderful pressoir at Clefs.
Our quince seems to only fruit every second year - so none this year. It is an ornamental one - it's like a shrub. But the fruit can be used - last year I made quince and apple jelly, which was good on porridge. I've heard of medlars, but have never seen or tasted them!
Posted by: Anne Donald | 24 September 2010 at 06:39 PM