Winter Apples

On one of my usual woodland walks, I pass an ancient cellarhole, marking the place of a former farmstead. Nearby are a shallow dug well, and several apple trees. A few of the trees have what are called "winter apples", which ripen late and can be stored over the winter. As I've walked by, the apples seem to shine like bright baubles in the trees, still hanging there after leaves have fallen and turned brown. I've tried eating them, but they are hard and sour with thick skins. It's possible that they'd turn sweeter in storage, but right now they are food for deer and bear who have to fill their bellies before winter.