My Apple!

The apples from the tree my grandfather planted in his (now my) back garden were kind of a dull, mottled red. Not the prettiest of fruits.  But wow, they were juicy, shot through with sugary veins, the flesh firm and crunchy.  Perfect for eating right off the tree, and for baking, as well.


Several years ago, my father announced that the tree was diseased and had it cut down.  On the bright side, it gave a little plum seedling that had appeared a few years earlier in its shadow the opportunity to grow.  But there would be no more apples.  Maybe it was dad's way of telling me he didn't want any more of my apple sauce!

The next year, another seedling appeared, almost in the grave of the original apple tree.  With smooth bark, and large green leaves, it looked suspiciously like an apple tree, so I let it grow.  This year, small, whitish-pinkish blossoms appeared, again, a lot like apple blossoms.  And last week, a tiny little green nub appeared high on one of the top branches!

The little apple is already beginning to take shape and color and has grown considerably in one week.   It is difficult to tell at this point, whether it sprouted from fruit that dropped from the original tree, or one that fell out of the compost pile, but I plan to cover it with netting before it ripens too much, so I can "test" it properly.