ships were drawn up on the tiber beaches , bringing amphorae of olive oil or wine , fine textiles dyed with bright phoenician purple or carmine red , or pigs of metal from the mines of aithalia ; across the tiber , past the tiber island , the trees of the janiculum orchards stood bare and black , but the stores were full of their fruit cherries in spirits of wine , plum butters , apples chopped into rings and dried , or pickled in honey and mustard , lying dark and cool in the great earthenware jars ; or apples packed in straw in the musty space above the rafters , slowly drying till their skins wrinkled and spotted with brown , but sweetening as they dried till , as spring came in , they burst their sugars on the palate darkly , almost dry .