Gallery – Autumn Sunshine on Allotment Apples

I was down at the allotment at around 08:30 this morning. The sun was shining, its rays coming low and slow¹This sort of intense golden yellow light always puts me in mind of the Terry Pratchett’s descriptions of sunlight sloshing across the Discworld like golden syrup under the influence of the world’s intense magical field. across the sheds and greenhouses, and the intense morning light caught the few apples that are still on their trees just-so, giving them more than a hint of a glamorous glow.

Here are a few photos that I took to capture the moment.

Apple ‘Delbard Jubile’

These late-season dessert apples show no signs of dropping just yet, so I’m leaving them be on the assumption that they still have a little ripening to do.

Apple ‘Howgate Wonder’

These giant cookers seem to be no keener to drop than the Jubiles, and as there’s still some green to their leaves then there’s a chance that they’re still ripening up as well. I’m checking them regularly for woodlouse damage though, and if nibbled holes appear then I’ll pick them and take them home to cook up. They make a lovely, smooth purée.

Apple ‘Knobby Russet’

Also known as ‘Knobbly Russet’, but these odd little apples were introduced to me as ‘Knobby’ and so ‘Knobby’ they’ll stay.²If I remember correctly I had scions of this variety from Stewart Waine, who posts loads of great pics of his orchards and his soft fruit breeding programme on Twitter/X, and Bluesky (when he remembers he has an account on the latter platform…) They look somewhat unappealing, as if they’ve dried and cracked in the sun, but peel off that rough skin – or chew through it if you think you need a little extra fibre in your diet – and you’ll find it’s really very thin indeed, and the apple flesh beneath is slightly sharp, sub-acid, and very refreshing. A great variety to grow if you have a problem with scrumpers and want to divert their attention elsewhere.

Cordon Trees

Finally, this section of cordon trees – a poorly ‘Gravenstein’ that’s coming out over the winter, a double ‘Keswick Codlin’ and a double ‘Tydeman’s Early Worcester’ caught my eye as I was wandering up the path on the plot. I’m not sure the phone-photo has done the scene justice, but at least there’s a splash of blue sky there to enjoy.

If you’ve enjoyed these pics, then please do have a look at the Autumn Fruit Tree Foliage photos that I posted last weekend as well.

Footnotes

• 1
  This sort of intense golden yellow light always puts me in mind of the Terry Pratchett’s descriptions of sunlight sloshing across the Discworld like golden syrup under the influence of the world’s intense magical field. ↩︎
• 2
  If I remember correctly I had scions of this variety from Stewart Waine, who posts loads of great pics of his orchards and his soft fruit breeding programme on Twitter/X, and Bluesky (when he remembers he has an account on the latter platform…) ↩︎