Fruits of the season #phenology

There are a few black cherry trees (Prunus serotina) around the property. One or two of them have been dropping their fruit on the drive and along the township road. When the road was gravel, the fruits eventually disappeared. We wonder how long the cherry stains will last on the blacktopped road. We're not about to climb high enough to forage a worthwhile amount of cherry fruit, but, in a good year, the Autumn color of the leaves is just astounding.

black cherry's flaming October leaves

Photo by J. Harrington

The Better Half [BH] is, these days, in a more venturesome mode than Yr. Obt. Svt. so she went off and successfully foraged some elderberry fruit from a nearby location. What the fruit will be used for hasn't yet been disclosed to us layabouts. No doubt we'll learn in due time. [BH mentioned her mother used to love elderberry pie, so we'll take that as a strong hint.]

an apple a day ...

Photo by J. Harrington

Meanwhile, a nearby orchard informs us that we are now (late August) in the local harvest season for these apple varieties:

• State Fair,
• Redfree, and
• Zestar

Additional varieties will come on from the beginning of next month through mid-October. [The braeburns that BH brought home today are a product of Chile, not good for our carbon footprint, but weeks ahead of when locally grown will be ripe.] We vaguely remember bobbing for apples at Halloween time when we were a kid but we can't remember the last time we had a caramel apple, another childhood treat at this time of year, give or take a month or two. That could become a personal goal for this Autumn.

Several areas in Minnesota are noted for their apple orchards. We wonder how they're planning on adapting to climate modification. Will temperatures stabilize such that the existing trees will be able to continue to produce for at least some varieties? And how will warmer temperatures effect Minnesota wineries? Manufacturing can be and usually is done inside, away from the weather, in at least a semi-controlled climate. Not so growing most fruits and vegetables.

Song of Fairies Robbing an Orchard

By Leigh Hunt

We, the Fairies, blithe and antic, 

Of dimensions not gigantic, 

Though the moonshine mostly keep us, 

Oft in orchards frisk and peep us. 

Stolen sweets are always sweeter, 

Stolen kisses much completer, 

Stolen looks are nice in chapels, 

Stolen, stolen, be your apples. 

When to bed the world are bobbing, 

Then's the time for orchard-robbing; 

Yet the fruit were scarce worth peeling, 

Were it not for stealing, stealing. 

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