Harvest home...........

Luckily, most of it doesn't have far to come to get home LOL. This was what we managed in an hour or so yesterday morning; the main crop of apples is from the Devonshire Quarrenden tree; a biennial bearer, very old variety from just over the border, does very well here. The apples are eating apples, but don't keep, so we wil be getting through them. The big dark red apples are, believe it or not, a crab apple! Variety Wisley, they will go for cider next week, along with the John Downies there and the rest still to pick - the lovely orangey ones. The damsons are windfalls, the rest hopefully ready this week - they seem to take an age to get ripe, maybe it's just because I check them twice a day so I don't miss out! Also this week, I'll be digging potatoes, and there'll be tomatoes, chillies, herbs and courgettes to deal with. It's a busy time of year, but worth it for peace of mind when you know you have lots put by ready for eating throught the autumn and winter. I never grudge the time spent in the kitchen at this time of year. I clear the table, make a big pot of tea and just get on with it. Supper may be a bit later than usual, or the dusting missed for a few days but there you go!
There is even more jam to be made this week, and lots of racking and bottling of wine; the immortelles are giving me another good crop, I want to get bullace gin made, and I'm keeping a very close eye on the hop bines to catch them just at their very best. Ditto the sloes - being self-sufficient in sloes is a Big Thing for me! I've been making it for more years than I care to remember, but its increasing popularity has meant that there is more competition for the wild ones; I planted three in the garden a few years back, and two of them are heavy with fruit this year. The third one turned out to be a bullace, so that was an interesting bonus! I need to get out and see if there is any fruit on it this year ready for harvesting; MrL came back with a bagful of wild ones yesterday, destined for the gin bottle later today I should think. It's all go............................
Ah - forgot about the elderberries................!!!