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Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 5:57 pm
by benner
Have been driving past these for months, finally stopped and picked them today!
Look like unripe nectarines from the outside but after cutting them open they have seeds, they do taste appley I think, but they're sour enough to fold your face inside out so didn't want to eat one completely . The tree had lots of thorns on it too!
Anyone have an idea what they are?
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Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:09 pm
by Squirrel46
Look to me like crab apples!
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:33 pm
by Milims
They look rather like quince
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 7:51 pm
by Green Aura
I'd say crab apples.
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:09 pm
by healer
Looks a bit big for a crab apple though they do have thorns (usally when young) - but it could it be a self seeded something or other apple - you can tell as the tree won't be grafter onto another stock.
Not a real quince - they are more pair shaped and bright yellow and extemely hard. And not a Japonese quince either as wrong skin.
You could try making crab jelly - as the proof of the pudding......
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:19 pm
by benner
[quote="healer"]Looks a bit big for a crab apple though they do have thorns (usally when young)
It is a small tree and I thought they were a bit big for crabs... but they are proper wild apples! I felt compelled to ask the ishers before googling the phrase 'apple tree thorns'.
Gonna make some jelly this weekend!
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:47 pm
by red
looks like quince to me. are they scented when you sniff the skins?
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:01 pm
by red
yes - i think its a Japonica - or Chaenomeles if you look at this
linkon wiki you will see the same fruit.
We have one in our garden, and you can cook with them.. I have made jam - ok but hard work coring the fruit, jelly - much more successful, - its sharp.. you can use it where you might use redcurrant jelly etc.
I also tried to make wine with it.. but it was pretty ghastly.. so i wont be doing that again. so im afraid the fruit from mine are still in the garden - as i have apples etc to make things out of. so the good news, if you like them, you will probably be able to get them off gardeners no probs
Re: Any ideas what these are?
Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:54 am
by Millymollymandy
All these interesting IDs
I would say japonica leaves and thorns but they look a lot more appley than the fruit on my japonicas, which look more like knobbly, funny shaped mini quinces (which is more or less what they are!). But I guess they can vary as apples do with all sorts of shapes and sizes?
