Inspired by apples

Gourmet Garden

Tara Kate Linnane

The last candy coloured jewels hang sparsely from the apple trees, solitary and waiting to be claimed by the birds or the wind. The rest have been gathered during the harvest, destined for use in the kitchen.

There is something so satisfying about using produce grown in your own garden. Apples are a good old reliable, arriving in abundance each autumn. Growing different varieties makes for an interesting harvest, each variety offering its own distinctive flavour, colour and character from the shades of their skins to the subtle differences in their flesh. Shop bought apples never quite taste the same.

There is no shortage of delicious ways to enjoy the autumn apple harvest, from traditional apple tarts to warm stewed apples served with ice cream. But preserving them as sauces or juices is my preferred option, allowing a little of the autumn harvest to be enjoyed long after the last apples have fallen from the trees.

Making juice

I always like to encourage my children to get involved in gardening activities, and harvesting the apples is something they particularly enjoy. This year we decided to make apple juice with the fruit. It was a lovely way of showing them the process of getting the fruit from the tree to the glass. If you're thinking of doing the same with your own harvest, there are a couple of pieces of equipment worth considering.

The first is an apple grinder or masher. This mashes the fruit, seeds and all, into a thick pulp that can then be pressed into the juice. I had tried other methods of piping and, to be honest, the proper equipment makes the job much easier.

The second is an apple press, which extracts the juice from the crushed fruit. We were fortunate enough to have one loaned to us, saving us the expense of purchasing our own. It's certainly worth asking around before investing in one, particularly if you only plan to use it once or twice a year. We pressed the juice directly into a glass jar ready for tasting, however, it is considered risky if the juice is unpasteurised. The sharp, tangy and deliciously fresh juice was not as much of a hit with the kids as it was the adults! Perhaps our tastebuds mature to appreciate such qualities!

Growing apple trees

Growing and harvesting apples is one of life's simple pleasures in my opinion. There are some considerations to make if you are thinking of growing your own fruit. One very important one is the variety. Most apple trees will need one or more trees flowering at the same time to cross pollinate and produce fruit.

However, there are some self‑fertile (or self‑pollinating) apple trees that can set fruit using their own pollen. They do not require a second apple tree, though yields and fruit quality often improve with cross‑pollination. Examples would be well known varieties of apples called Golden Delicious or Granny Smith. But what would be the fun in that!

If space allows, I would recommend growing a number of different varieties as this would satisfy the horticultural requirement for improving yield but also provides an array of beautiful and wonderful fruit to enjoy. Trees are best planted during the winter months when they are dormant. If this has inspired you to grow your own, then now is a good time to go picking your trees for apple picking next autumn.