Kei Apple bonanza!
Today, I took the time to visit my favourite stand of Kei Apple (Dovyalis caffra) trees. This is a local stand that thousands of people drive past (often several times a day) and, unfortunately, most go to waste, blown off of the trees by passing trucks and squashed on the road.
I stopped harvesting when I had a heavy bag-full (probably close to 10 kg).
Kei Apples are another South African import to Australia and are related to Willows. The trees are very heavy producers, making them excellent for local foragers. The fruit is quite acidic and softens quickly, becoming a little sweeter as it ripens and softens (but I reckon it loses a lot of its taste). They make an excellent jam but this year, I’m going to try drying or pickling them. Apparently their acidity means that no vinegar is needed.
Kei Apples are guarded by long, sharp thorns, like in the pic above - they're about 5 cm long! The pic below shows you the Kei Apple forager’s badge of honour!
This is #originalwork. The pics were taken by yours truly.
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Wow! Those are some intense thorns. One of our seaberries ended up with similar thorns but we suspect that it was from being browsed by deer over and over and over again. I can't say I have ever had a pickled apple but now I am curious. -Aimee
Yeah, its a real 'prick' of a job!
Hmm, gauntlets advised?
PS: looking forward to the update on how the pickles go.
Apparently, one only needs to add water - theyre so acidic that they pickle themselves!
My kind of pickling! 😉 Let me know how they taste.
Good post, whether the apple tree can grow the tropics
Dont know, its temperate South african. You have similar trees in the tropics though...