We have spent a wee bit of time and more than a wee bit of money at a wonderful orchard near Shell Cottage. Our first visit we picked apples for 15 minutes and were surprised to find that we had accumulated over 40 pounds of apples! What further surprised us was how fast they disappeared, what with apple sauce, apple cake, and just plain eatin'!
I discovered a new apple on that trip, the Melrose. As big as my head (and I have a BIG head) and a wonderful balance between sweet and tart, I found them addictive.
We had to go back in very short order. And those apples went away pretty quickly.
That's when I realized, Hey! I have a yard! I can grow apples myself! So I started researching and studying and trying to make decisions. Yesterday I went back to the orchard -- the very last day of the season -- and asked a question about planting, and my friend the AppleMan asked me how much I was paying per tree. I told him and he said that he could tack on my trees to his order and get them for me for one-third the cost!
So come spring we will be planting three trees - Melrose, HoneyCrisp, and Smokehouse apples! And in 4 or 5 years we will be harvesting 12 bushels of apples a season! (A bushel weighs approximately 42 pounds!) We should be able to provide all of our friends and family with apples! And apple cake. And apple sauce. And apple butter. And mincemeat. And...and...and!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I'm getting regular deliveries of windfalls from my sister's apple tree (technically it's over a wall in some untended wasteland but let's not split hairs).
I don't know what make they are, but although they're not very pretty they taste lovely. Made tarte tatin last night, and Malachy has discovered that left over baked apples make a delicious breakfast!!
One of the many reasons I love Autumn, or as you would call it, the Fall.
Hi!!! I just stumbled onto your blog....and read about your apple farm! ;0) My family has an orchard as well....but we have a problem being able to actually get the apples before the wildlife....the deer eat the apples, and the coons sit in the trees and eat the plums and apricots!! We don't get much because of them.....but what we do get......it's yummy!!! Good luck!
Post a Comment