Fruit, Fruit and More Fruit

All the rain, and all the sun, have meant that everything is in full spring growth. Unfortunately that includes the grass…

On the positive side we have fruit growing on our trees. The apricot trees have apricots, the plums are fruiting, and the bees are buzzing merrily around the in blossom trees. Touch wood, but it looks like we are going to have a good season. Yum.

Sweet, Tasty, Sunripe Goodness

Like a lot of chaps, I don’t really do fruit and veges, unless they are deep fried and battered. It might seem a little strange then that I (ok herself has, but I helped) have been happily planting fruit trees.

But you see the pay off is in being able to walk around your own orchard, and picking your own fruit, and eating it.

Now while it is too early yet for us to have an over abundance of fruit, the trees in their second year are providing us with a nice harvest. Walking down in the nice warm sun, picking the fruit is all good sweet, tasty, sunripe goodness. Apples just taste better that way!

I was mowing the orchard and I could go past the trees and pick fruit as I went! Nom nom nom.

Speaking of mowing, the grounds look positively park like having been mowed. I will post pictures later.

A Fistfull Of Cherries

It was with abundant joy that I found on one of our cherry trees a handful of ripe red cherries all waiting to be picked. I of course obliged, gathering my fistful of cherries into my pocket.

Unfortunately my plan to provide photographic evidence was foiled by the E.I.C., and the smallest T.B.T., and alas the cherries were eaten.

There was a distinct lack of remorse on behalf of the miscreant cherry eaters!

 

Pumpkin Cake And Peachcott Blossoms

One of the best buys of the new trees has to be the Peachcott. It’s pretty pink flowers are just beautiful. We may have to save up and plant ten more next year

Pretty in Pink

Pink blossom

In a completely unrelated manner the E.I.C. has a new favourite cookbook.  It’s called The Church Supper Cookbook edited by David Joachim.

The Church Supper Cookbook

She baked the following recipe.

Pumpkin Cake

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin [ We roasted a pumpkin and used fresh. Who's heard of canned pumpkin - guess that's a US thing]

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts (any kind)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, and beat. Stir in pumpkin. Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients (not baking soda) with milk to pumpkin mixture. Then add nuts and baking soda; mix until well-blended and pour into greased and floured  10 * 10 pan. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Cool and frost.

We iced with orange flavoured butter icing. They recommend a cream cheese icing.