Regrettably, I have just finished the last of John's pear jelly. I am also dreading the day that I finish the last of the mulled crabapple jelly that I made from last fall's crabapple crop from the tree in my parents' back yard. Had I not wrecked the first batch that I made (too few apples, leading to insufficient pectin for the syrup to gel), I may have been able to be a little more generous with my crabapple jelly, but as it was, I made just enough to give away 3 jars and keep 2 for myself, and have been hoarding the last jar for some while. Unless I find alternative arrangements, it's going to have to last me awhile longer because both logistical and natural considerations are working against me this year: I am extremely unlikely to within 600 km of the tree when the apples are ready this fall, and even if I was, the tree seems to be under some kind of stress that caused it to not really blossom this spring. Because there is a 1-to-1 correspondence between blossom and fruit, it's unlikely to have many crabapples to offer this fall anyways.
Sorry the post wasn't especially funny. But as a member of Blogger Local 120, I can't shy away from hard-hitting topics like toast condiments just because they're difficult or controversial.
There other crab apples trees, often blight free, located many places. The internet even knows of some of them. This claims of trees in a park in Chicago:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.growinginchicago.com/2009/05/crab-apples-and-other-memories-of-hyde.html
Highland Park (just north of Evanston) claims to have plenty of trees in their town/city.
My mom's pear tree is looking a little low on pears this year, but I am still optimistic for more jelly AND canning some pears again this year. All those will be rhubarb free for your enjoyment.