Malus pumila ‘Dartmouth’

A good harvest in the garden means a culinary delight for Gardens visitors. The chef at the John Hope Gateway restaurant has a recipe for jelly as an accompaniment to a Sunday roast. A basketful of fruit from Malus pumila ‘Dartmouth’ has been boiled and reduced down to make a sweet smooth clear rose coloured jelly with an exquisite taste. The peel is rich in pectin resulting in a rapid set as it cools.

Mespilus germanica ‘Dutch’

Mespilus germanica ‘Dutch’ is a cultivar with unusually shaped, well formed fruit. An added benefit is the yellow autumn colour of the deciduous foliage. A member of the family Rosaceae. The remnants of the floral parts are visible at the calyx end of the fruit. The sepals protrude from the bulk of the pome forming a hollow end. The fruit is a matt brown colour and solid. Left on the trees through frosty spells the exposure to low temperatures softens or blets the fruit. Another taste soon to be experienced in the Gateway restaurant.

Rheum officinale

The past week has seen rapid development in the autumn colour of deciduous trees. A good time to walk through lawns covered in a carpet of dry leaves, the crunching noise is a traditional sound before the winter damp sets in. There is even a ruddy beauty to Rhubarb leaves, Rheum officinale as they disintegrate with the shorter, cooler days of autumn.