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In the fruit garden. Advice for December
Raspberries
This is the time of year to remove the old canes.
Do this by cutting the old cane with a sharp secateurs at ground
level. If there are surplus new canes, these should also be
removed, leaving about 10 good canes per metre length of row.
The waste canes are best disposed of by composting or burning as
they can contain pests and diseases. Now is also a good time to
remove any weeds where they have grown into the raspberry
row.
Strawberries
The strawberries have long finished fruiting, but still deserve
your attention. If you plan to crop the mother plants again,
then the stolons connecting the runners to the mothers should be
cut so that they do not draw too much energy from the mothers.
If you are going to dig runners for planting on fresh ground,
then now is a good time to make preparations. Make new drills
about 90cm (3 feet) apart and leave them to weather for a while
before planting the new runners.
Apples
All your apples should be harvested by now. If you wish to store
some, then keep them in a cool dry place, possibly wrapped in
newspaper. Do not try to store blemished fruit, as these will
rot and be wasted. Remember to also keep an eye on your fruits
and use them while they are still good. Regarding the trees,
keep the area around their bases weed-free; between now and
winter the roots will be growing, and the less competition they
face, the better they will do. A dressing of farm-yard-manure is
also helpful.
Apple cheesecake
Base:
150g of butter or margarine
250g digestive biscuits
Filling:
750g Bramley's Seedling cookers; peeled, cored and
sliced
2 tablespoons water (approx.)
225g soft cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia)
50g caster sugar
2 sachets gelatine
250ml whipping cream
Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs, mix with the
melted butter. Press the mixture into the base and sides of a
9" (23cm) dish. Chill until firm.
Cook the sliced apples with the water and mash smoothly, add the
sugar and leave to cool.
Combine with the cream cheese.
Sprinkle the gelatine over the hot water in a small
bowl, stir until dissolved, then whisk it into the apple and
cheese mixture. Whisk the cream fairly stiffly and fold into the
apple mixture. Put onto the crushed biscuit base and chill until
set. If desired decorate with slices of red eating apple.
If you have any recipe suggestions which use apples or
other Irish fruits then please let us know. We'd love to pass
them on.
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