Fruit Trees

I'm looking forward to that. So far, the wild strawberries are starting to ripen.

We have an old crabapple tree that produces red fruit -- not much anymore, but when I was little, Grandma used to make the most glorious crabapple jelly with a bright peach-pink color. The birdgift tree is actually two trees grown together, one of which puts out tiny yellow crabs, the other of which puts out small but sweet yellow apples, about raquetball size. Then there are several crabapple trees that I've planted in recent years from the Arbor Day Foundation; some of them are starting to produce fruit, again all yellow if I remember right. I ought to look for another red one, or maybe pick some fruit off the old tree and try to sprout it.

There are many different types of crabapples, in different colors and sizes.
http://www.thebrentonarboretum.org/crabapple_tree_collection.asp
http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story.php?id=2859

Mine was labeled; I bought it from a catalog.

Other than that, you can read descriptions of apple varieties and try to estimate from the features of the fruit/tree, location, and age of tree. On a university, there might also be a record of what was planted. You'd be surprised what odd information gets kept, if you know where to look for it or who to ask.

Why, that sort of thing usually happens only when I post recipes! Now it's happening with food on the tree...

*drool, slobber*

Eventually the tree will give more fruit. The birds got it all this year, didn't even wait for it to get ripe. As soon as the fruit turned pink they ate it.