Late peaches and early apples

Autumn in Australia begins on the 1st of March – all of our seasons start on the first of the month (December, March, June and September) and run for three calendar months. While not quite true to the timing of the solstices and equinoxes, this simplification undoubtedly helps a largely urban population, disconnected from seasonal changes in their air-conditioned houses, to make sense of the four seasons.
For the few remaining gardeners among us, the seasons are often marked by the ripening of certain fruits, berries and vegetable crops of one sort or another.
So it is with us – the late clingstone peaches are ripening at last, and the first fresh apples of autumn are appearing. I’m particularly proud of these Royal Gala apples – they were grafted as small twigs onto our Granny Smith apple tree and these grafts are at last bearing fruit, bringing a new taste to our Adelaide autumns in the kitchen garden.