apples
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There was an opportunity to fill the apple cider vinegar containers so I took it. With an abundant apple harvest there are plenty to juice and turn into vinegar. I’ve written about vinegar-making multiple times in the last ten years. All I have to add is this is one of the best apple seasons since… Read more
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My focus in the garden turned to apples. By weight, it is the biggest crop I grow. Doing something useful with them drives me to spend much kitchen time processing them. Zestar! and Earliblaze are finished with Red Delicious remaining to close out the garden season. Of the four varieties I grow, Red Delicious hang… Read more
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I finished what I’m doing with Earliblaze apples this year. The trees produced so much fruit I could not keep up. There will be plenty for wildlife to eat well into winter. Besides eating them fresh, I made apple cider vinegar and applesauce for storage. I have a backlog of apple butter and dried apples,… Read more
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This is one tart, tasty apple drink. I’m not sure what to call it. When I make applesauce, I steam cored apples in enough water to cover the bottom of a pan. Additional moisture is released from the apples. Everything goes into a cone sieve strainer resting on a large Rubbermaid pitcher. Once the liquid… Read more
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The decent rain this morning will help the apples. I’m particularly looking forward to having a Zestar! apple from the tree I planted a couple of years ago. Zestar! is early and a bit tart. I tried one already and there is still too much starchiness. This rain should help them get bigger and sweeten… Read more
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They say if you bring something good to a potluck you’ll have to bring the same dish to every potluck from now on. I don’t make the rules. When I attend a potluck, with or without my spouse, I take something we can both eat. Sometimes it is popular, yet mostly it is not. I… Read more
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Four days into the main apple tree bloom it looks to be a banner year. No hint of frost since blossoms opened and plenty of native pollinators work the flowers. Yesterday flower petals began to fall to the ground, indicating successful pollination. I planted these trees on Earth Day in 1995. It was a roll… Read more
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On Saturday I made the last trip to the orchard this season. There were lots of Gold Rush on the trees and I picked 32 of them. The refrigerator bin is now full of apples, enough to last into 2023. There are also a few Honeycrisp and Snow Sweet apples in the bin, yet Gold… Read more
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I worked for seven seasons at what is now Wilson’s Orchard and Farm near Iowa City. At the time it was mostly an apple orchard with seasonal imports of cherries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries from other farms. During the coronavirus pandemic they expanded their offerings and yesterday announced they bought a 115-acre farm near… Read more
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We spotted an apple in our trees from the kitchen window. I investigated and four Earliblaze apples were ready to pick. A handful of Red Delicious need ripening. The scent of autumn is in the air. I drove to Wilson’s Orchard and picked Ginger Gold, Burgundy, Sansa, and Red Gravenstein apples. Trees were loaded with… Read more
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