Thursday 21 July 2011

ABC Wednesday Round 9 A is for Apple


For Round 9 I am going to concentrate on ‘things in the garden’. I was going to say plants but ‘things’ covers A multitude of possibilities. As the end of the Alphabet Approaches I may have to improvise or ‘buy in’ specially ;-)

Anyway, there Are many things in our garden which start with A, including Ants and Aphids, but I’ve chosen Apple. For my birthday in April I was given A patio Apple tree, ‘Patio Sophia’ that had lots of blossom on it. Absolutely delightful! All the flowers set And the little tree is now groaning under An Abundance of fruit.
If we were ‘proper’ gardeners we would have removed some of the fruits to ensure A well-sized crop – but we’re not And we didn’t. We like the look of them And we don’t really mind if the birds sample them, either, Although we Always make sure there’s plenty of food for them. In fact, the whole garden has been – I hesitate to say ‘designed’ – Arranged to Attract And Accommodate birds, bees and butterflies And other wingèd creatures.
‘Patio Sophia’ is grown on dwarfing root stock And will grow And spread up to 2m in five years.
Apple blossoms may be eaten in moderation And have A delicate flavour.
This is apple blossom I found in the forest
In China Apples signify peace And Apple blossom is A symbol of female beauty.

Apples represent eternal youth And fertility in Norse mythology.

Celtic lore maintains that Apples grant immortality.

We Also have Apple mint – it has large, soft leaves And A subtle mint flavour which goes 
particularly well in fresh fruit salads.
Click here to see more Amazing As!

17 comments:

  1. It's a long time since I had any apple mint, but as soon as I looked at your picture, I could smell it! ♥

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  2. I'm impressed that the tree already bears so much fruit. I'm sure the neighbouthood critters will appreciate the fruit this autumn. The squirrels here LOVE apples. :)

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  3. A garden theme for the alphabet will be fun - I can't wait to see what you come up with. Your apple tree looks so Appealing! Thanks for visiting me in my inaugural wander through the alphabet.

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  4. What a great way to start the new round! I love apple blossom - so fresh and inviting don't you think? This has inspired me - need to do a tad gardening this afternoon - we have something being delivered tomorrow and I need to prepare the ground.

    Denise
    ABC Team

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  5. AH, a more peaceful round for you this time! Love apples.

    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  6. I love your garden theme! Don't know if you recal, but some time ago I had my watercolor of Apple Blossums on my header.

    I think it's time for an Apple Pie.

    Look forward to Round 9 with you. I'm sure I will learn much about gardening.

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  7. Wow, I didn't know apple blossoms could be eaten!

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  8. Man - that's a lot of apples! Is jam or pie on the agenda? Enjoy them!

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  9. I would never find enough letters in our garden, I reduced it to grass and bushes very easy to entertain, no work at all besides the grass of course. So I could only participate for B (ush) and G (rass).
    But I re discovered Apple tea in Turkey ! that tastes heavenly !!

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  10. I didn't know there were small apple trees like this! I want one too. And to think the apples are already on the tree. We have many apple orchards here and apples aren't picked until October. I am definitely going to look into this!

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  11. When I googled the Patio Sophia, your blog is second on the list! Isn't that exciting?

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  12. What lovely, healthy apples and leaves, Janice! They make a beautiful picture.
    I grew up amidst apple orchards in British Columbia and had no idea the blossoms could be eaten. I had a sudden vision of one of those jellied salads mothers were constantly making for community dinners in the 1960s, but this one clear gelatin and apple blossoms. Wouldn't that be beautiful?
    We have a beautifully-flowered ornamental crabapple, and I have a sudden urge to turn up at a potluck dinner next spring with a gelatin-and-crabapple-blossom salad, if I can find out if the blossoms are edible.
    Meanwhile, another reason for thinning the fruit on your well-covered boughs is to make sure the branches don't break from the weight. Then you can ensure a crop of good-sized apples, but also put out a tray for the birds, full of the apples you've removed.

    —Kay, Alberta, Canada

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  13. Apple is an inspired choice for 'A'. Apple stands for everything wholesome, healthy and hearty.

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  14. I've never heard of apple mint but it sounds great. We used to have an apple tree, but they were always full of worms.

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  15. A garden theme sounds like a wonderful idea. I too am impressed that your little tree had such an abundance of fruit so soon. I'm sure the birds enjoyed their fruity treat.

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  16. You are quite brave to limit this alphabet series to one theme! This is my first go-round on this meme and I'm already looking for and scratching my head at what I'll use for some of the more challenging letters. Good luck! I'll be checking back in.

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