Years ago my late and much missed mother-in-law planted an apple tree. Her late husband, Grandpa Delbert to my kids, planted a grape vine. They were close together.
Too close in fact.
Now the grapes grow up the apple tree and hang down in festoons of luscious fruit, tempting, tasty, and just out of reach.
Enter a determined younger daughter, a nice long shepherd's crook, and the decision to make grape jelly today.
The Fruit Salad Tree
It took a while, but it is sunny and Indian summery and it was nice to work outdoors. If you watch the video closely you can see apples caroming around as Becky pulls on one of the grape vines after hooking it down with the crook (now you know where by hook and by crook came from). I think maybe the apples high on the tree are finally ripe, so maybe I can make more apple jelly with them.
Anyhow for the first time ever I made grape jelly that actually set! Yay!
You are so lucky to be able to grow grapes. Glad to hear your jelly set, I hate it when it doesn't and I have to cook it again.
ReplyDeleteSure beats climbing into the apple trees and falling into twangles of ivy below. Loved doing it though.
ReplyDeleteDo grapes have enough pectin to set on their own or do they need a little help?
Berries here seem to do just fine.
That and the apple jelly sure do look good. Where DID I leave my spoon?????
Great! Becky looks so happy! Now all you need is an orange and a banana tree planted nearby.
ReplyDeleteWe have a tree like that, only the grapes are green concords - does Becky hire out??
ReplyDeleteLinda, extra lucky in that they grow themselves...they have been there as long as I have and at one point I cut them right down because they were strangling the tree...they just grew right back up. I have no idea what kind they are. They are a sort of golden brown color and very flavorful.
ReplyDeleteSteve, yeah, I had several offers to climb, but turned them down. Thin brittle limbs on both the tree and the climbers...no health insurance...all that kind of stuff
Wish I could figure out a way to ship you some. I think it might be hard to mail
FC, she was. We sure had fun! I have tried to grow indoor bananas and citrus but with no success. I can kill them pretty good though. lol
Nita, I am sure she would but for the problem with geography. Green Concords.....I wonder if that is what the other vine on the other tree was. That one seems to have died last winter, sadly.