What is this fruit?

[Bernie]

Hi all

Near where I am there is a tree that is dropping this fruit. I have no idea what it is or whether I can eat it. Can you tell me what it is please, and whether I can eat it? Bonus points for telling me how to prepare it if I need to cook it first.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6050905240_73b8f3db22.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6050905240/)
IMAG0690 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6050905240/) by bhofmann (http://www.flickr.com/people/22443421@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6063/6050905248_1528098b5e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6050905248/)
IMAG0689 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6050905248/) by bhofmann (http://www.flickr.com/people/22443421@N07/), on Flickr

Thank you!
Bernie

Edit: Here are photos of two that I cut in half. The seeds look like apple seeds, and it has almost no odour, but what I can make out reminds me of apples. Also, the fruit is firm like a fresh apple would be, not "plump" like a cherry or plum would be.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6051020338_227a23ab5f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6051020338/)
IMAG0694 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6051020338/) by bhofmann (http://www.flickr.com/people/22443421@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6198/6051020326_8ceabbf2a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6051020326/)
IMAG0693 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22443421@N07/6051020326/) by bhofmann (http://www.flickr.com/people/22443421@N07/), on Flickr

[bigzee]

Unless I'm very much mistaken that looks like a crab apple, but not the sort usually found growing wild. I think it's a foreign variety, and looks very much like the ones that used to grow outside my junior school. A teacher used to encourage us to harvest these - for her to produce jars of pink jelly and the most productive pickers would get one or two. I assume it gets boiled up with sugar and clarified as it should contain a good dose of pectin. I'm sure there are many botanical and gastronomical experts who will confirm or dispute this very shortly.

[Ichneumon]

My educated guess (and following on from what Bigzee says):

Apple varieties are non self-pollenating. So a Granny Smith cannot pollenate a Granny Smith, for example. It also means that if you plant a seed from a Cox's Orange Pippin you won't get a Cox. So all apple trees are created from pieces from the original trees grafted onto a rootstock. Fruit growers have to introduce more than one variety of apple into their orchands just to get the trees to fruit. Often they graft both varieties onto the same rootstock and frequently use crab apples as the pollenating variety. This means that when you eat an apple it could be a cross between a Gala (for example) and a crab apple.

If somebody discards an apple core and the seeds takes root the result will be a hybrid. This has happened on some notable occasions resulting in some very delicious new varieties. On the other hand the result could be a crab apple hybrid which looks weird and tastes disgusting. It's pot luck!

I think this is what could account for your tree Bernie.

PS. Are you going to Ivor's in September?

Paul

[Woodwose]

The Tree of Knowledge.... There wasn't a Serpent nearby was there. ;)

[bikebum1975]

Yeah those are crab apples for sure we had one of those trees in our yard when I was a kid. Never tried eating them though

[bigzee]

No I wouldn't eat any raw - or you'll be "going" through the eye of a needle without touching the sides!

[carl]

hi bernie, they are crab apples try this receipe http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/hot-apple-and-chilli-jelly-recipe-6372 made it last year it was lovely, thanks for reminding me to make some more