Fruit fast

Eastside Road, October 11, 2011—

THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH fruit around here not to eat it, even if it is fasting Tuesday.

Today, for example, we picked the last of the Belle de Boskoop apples (there are a few Arkansas Blacks in the box too), and I couldn't resist one. It was as big as my fist, and I have a pretty big fist. It's a fine apple, a curious one for its yellowish flesh and complex, slightly musky flavor — though I'm pretty sure it's a relative of the Gravenstein I grew up with. orangepippin.com says

Eaten fresh, Belle de Boskoop is quite a sharp apple. This and its large size makes it unsuitable as a snack apple, but it can be nice cut into slices to share after a meal.

Well, my snack was a meal. And later, Lindsey fixed another one: a fig — it's a poor year here for figs, but there are a few — and a couple of pears, as we have those to contend with too. Life is hard.