Apple Harvest
Most of the apples we grow are for wildlife but that doesn’t mean that we don’t also get our share for eating, baking, dehydrating, freezing, etc.
We harvested all of the Red Wealthy apples 1 1/2 - 2 weeks ago. These are great eating apples although you could also use them for pies if you wanted to. We kept many of them in refrigerators and gave away the rest of them to friends and family.
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We started picking Honey Crisp on Friday (Sept 23rd). We picked about 150# - 200# of them but there are still many to pick - more than we will ever use for sure…
You can see a broken branch on this tree in the background. We thinned apples 2 or 3 times this year but it still wasn't enough. Going to have to do better next year.
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We will eat a lot of these for eating apples for sure, but Elaine likes HC for dehydrating. She will dehydrate about 12-14 cases of these in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, her apple peeler broke down on her a couple days ago. She ordered a new one but the delay will set her back some for sure.
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Anyone else have any favorites that they are harvesting this year?
We harvested all of the Red Wealthy apples 1 1/2 - 2 weeks ago. These are great eating apples although you could also use them for pies if you wanted to. We kept many of them in refrigerators and gave away the rest of them to friends and family.
We started picking Honey Crisp on Friday (Sept 23rd). We picked about 150# - 200# of them but there are still many to pick - more than we will ever use for sure…
You can see a broken branch on this tree in the background. We thinned apples 2 or 3 times this year but it still wasn't enough. Going to have to do better next year.
We will eat a lot of these for eating apples for sure, but Elaine likes HC for dehydrating. She will dehydrate about 12-14 cases of these in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, her apple peeler broke down on her a couple days ago. She ordered a new one but the delay will set her back some for sure.
Anyone else have any favorites that they are harvesting this year?
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Speaking of Pristine. My earliest ripening apple. This year was my sole Pristine's 14th in my ground (on EMLA7).
It was going to be a big crop. It's best ever. In early August, I examined it on a Friday afternoon. Then again on Monday afternoon....and the crop was gone. Maybe 5 or 6 apples left.
It has been my perennial problem. Raccoons and possums (and fox squirrels).
My Pristine is clearly a favorite for those critters at that time of year. Must be the smell? Same with my Williams, my Redfree, my Florina and Galarina.
And most years...also my Liberty's, tho not this year.
What doesn't seem...so far....to be so preyed upon are my Galas, my Golden Delicious, my Goldrush. And the pears and crabs don't see losses from climbing critters until much later in the season.
I believe I won't see some of my apple trees produce harvestable fruit until so many trees are mature enough and bearing enough to overwhelm the surviving* critters.
* I say 'surviving' .....as since I returned from Florida in late April, I have reduced that population by 44 animals....***** & possums. Last year, it was in the low '40's through December. It could hit close to 60 by New Year. As November and December are usually busy months for the critters.....most especially when my bird feeder goes up behind the barn.
It is what it is.
It was going to be a big crop. It's best ever. In early August, I examined it on a Friday afternoon. Then again on Monday afternoon....and the crop was gone. Maybe 5 or 6 apples left.
It has been my perennial problem. Raccoons and possums (and fox squirrels).
My Pristine is clearly a favorite for those critters at that time of year. Must be the smell? Same with my Williams, my Redfree, my Florina and Galarina.
And most years...also my Liberty's, tho not this year.
What doesn't seem...so far....to be so preyed upon are my Galas, my Golden Delicious, my Goldrush. And the pears and crabs don't see losses from climbing critters until much later in the season.
I believe I won't see some of my apple trees produce harvestable fruit until so many trees are mature enough and bearing enough to overwhelm the surviving* critters.
* I say 'surviving' .....as since I returned from Florida in late April, I have reduced that population by 44 animals....***** & possums. Last year, it was in the low '40's through December. It could hit close to 60 by New Year. As November and December are usually busy months for the critters.....most especially when my bird feeder goes up behind the barn.
It is what it is.
BTW....those **** asterisks above was a software edit to sidestep the colloquil shortcut term for 'raccoon'.
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