Tonight, Dearly Beloved and I took a stroll out into the warm evening air, making the most of the quiet empty lanes and the 'mellow fruitfulness' of this time of year. I've had my eye on a crab apple tree and regret not picking them sooner. We had what was left and got a good bowlful; I should remember the old adage of not putting off what needs doing today; it was clear by the trampled grass around the tree that the lower branches were already stripped.
We had also left it too late in the evening to collect more sloes and you can see that they are barely visible against the evening sky. The best ones around here grow on the side of the A38 and on my route to work. I must stop tomorrow and pick some more whilst it is still light. The sloes I picked today were so much smaller and juicier than the last sloes that I picked and these will be brilliant for sloe gin.
Well here is the bounty! Apples for my damson chutney.
A good handful of sloes, which I will add to until I have enough.
More skate park damsons.
No one ever warned me that frugality could be so romantic! I really enjoyed my night out with Dearly Beloved, he can pull the branches down to my height so I can pick the fruit. Mind you, he's already eaten two jars of upside down green tomato chutney so I better hurry up and make more chutney for him. This weekend is going to be a very romantic sticky weekend of chutney making so my beloved knows how loved he is!