This is our Cox's Orange Pippin harvest for 2016. We've had the tree since 1985, but after a disappointing few years at the beginning, we decided to get rid of the tree, which was not producing very tasty apples. I think maybe it was the fault of the rootstock. The top half of the tree (Cox) was amalgamated with a different rootstock, but it didn't really work and the apples were more than sharp. We cut down the tree, applied acid to the base and put a bucket over the top of it (for three years). After that time we decided the tree must be dead and removed the bucket. It still looked dead. However, the next year it showed signs of life and you should see it now! This is a charmed tree and no more harm will come to it. I promise.
This year we had a bumper harvest, which we collected yesterday. I tried one of the apples and yes! it was edible and nicely sweet, yet a little sharp, just like a Cox is supposed to be.
The apples which had been a little damaged on cropping, I have made into some Golden Apple Mincemeat for the mince pies at Christmas. The recipe is below.
and it turned out very well. I have 8 llb jars of mincemeat to eat and share, just right for harvest.
Do you have any apple tree stories to share?
Happy Gardening.
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