A Garden Update

We've had some decent rain over the past few weeks and things are taking off like gangbusters!

I'd love to show you a picture of our tomato plants, but they are resembling an amazon at the moment!

But check this out - my Copra onions are BULBING!

I am seriously excited about this!

Here is one side of our Cucumber patch and some of our beans.

The wooden trellis in the background has Black Turtle Beans at the bottom of it.



This is our 'Squash' garden this year.

From left to right, Bush Acorn Squah, a Zucchini and Yellow Squash.

Then, what you can't see to the right are some pepper plants and some broccoli plants - broccoli which will probably get ripped out because 1.) I think it bolted on us and 2.) the hens had a feast on the leaves!

Some Basil in a 'pot' with the herb garden behind it.



And of course, a photo of the apple crop :) They are coming along!

How is your garden growing?

We are about done with our Alaska Shelling Peas. As we pick the last few pods off each section, we rip out the section and throw it to the hens - they LOVE it!!

Monday Sharing & Apples

We are approaching Mid-October and we're over knee high in apples!

More apples than I can sell and more than I know what to do with.

We are also knee deep in car negotiations - ugh - this must be one of my least favorites things to do!!

Anyways, back to the apples. I think I'll try my hand at some homemade [small batch] cider and some homemade apple juice. We'll see how it goes; I will let you know!



In the mean time, I must share this recipe for a Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte - chilled. It is delish -- my new favorite drink! I can't stop making it! I even had to make one for the road when we went car shopping over the weekend! And, it is a great way to use up the leftover coffee from the morning.

Also, so cool, this post on skin care with real food from Real Food Freaks!

And, I must try this Cool Rise Sandwich Bread recipe from Barefeet in the Kitchen. I never have luck with any kind of yeast bread recipe, but maybe I will with this one? I'd love to have a go to bread recipe.

Happy Monday!

Drowning...in fruit!

I am drowning in fruit. Picking until my fingers bleed.

Maybe not literally, but none the less!

120 fruit trees and most of them are all harvesting NOW.

I know it sounds 'romantic' to live on an orchard and farm apples & pears and have more than you know what to do with at your disposal. But, it ain't so romantic when you are living it!!

Don't get me wrong. It is great, but it is a lot of work for a barely there pay. A lot of HARD, laboring work. That all takes place after you have already been at work for 8 hours. A lot of cranky husbands, and cranky me's. And sore joints, numb finger tips and more polishing apples than I ever though possible.

Our garage is filled to the brim with bushel baskets full of fruit. And we have MORE empty baskets waiting to be filled. I have beyond ripe pears waiting to be made into pear butter. And I am try to peddle out this fruit like no ones business! Cider anyone?

Harvest Monday, August 29, 2011

This past week, I cannot even remember, what, if anything, I have harvested from the garden!

Some beans, I am sure. Probably some peppers.

But right now, were are drowning in Apple harvests!

Between now and the end of harvest season, I invite you to stop back on Wednesdays and share an Apple (or Pear or Quince) recipe for my 'Apple Harvest Party!'

Now hop on over to Daphne's Dandelions to see what other gardener's are harvesting!

Helpers in the Orchard

Saturday was our first Farmer's Market of the season. It went really well!! The evening prior, Friday night, we had my family over for a 'Pickin' & Sorting' Party.

We had one more tree that needed picked and then everything needed sorted, polished and bagged or 'busheled'!

My niece helping Auntie Kellie

My nephew getting help from Hubby

Allen lowering a branch for my niece

'Hey! I want one!!'

 

The Pickin' Party is taking a break!

Harvest Monday, August 21, 2011

Another Harvest Monday! Last week was a tad slow. I think I picked more than this, but I can't remember and didn't get a photo of it :) We've been busy in the orchard. To see some of the Apple & Pear's we've harvested this past week, check here or here.

As for this harvest basket, the last of the garlic that was drying, some yellow wax beans and the last of our broccoli. I did grab a few KY Wonder Pole beans from the trellis last night for dinner too :)

Check out what others are harvesting for Harvest Monday over at Daphne's Dandelions and Garden Tuesday over at Sidewalk Shoes!

And now that the Orchard is in season, expect to be drowning in posts about Apples...and some Pears....and some Quince!

Orchard Update - Mid June

Things are looking good in the orchard! I am starting to get excited!! We definitely are seeing scab on some varieties - thank you April and May for all your excessive rain! But the apples are still edible - just not particularly pretty ;)

There is also evidence of frost on some apples, but again, still edible, just not as pretty!

{These are our Yellow Transparent Apples. We only have one of these trees and it is the first of the apples to harvest - usually late July. They are a very soft apple with a short shelf life and they are best used for sauce.}

June Orchard Update

Things are coming along nicely in the orchard! Time will still tell what, if any damage, all the record-breaking rainfall might have done.

{Apple}

June drop has pretty much come and gone and now we just hand thin here and there when we see a need.

{Pear}


{Pears}



{Pears}

{Red Bartlett Pears}

Our Red Bartlett Pears are the first of our Pear trees to ripen, which will be in beginning/mid-August. I can't wait for some 'fresh out of the orchard' Pears! YUM

Hubby and I had a pear the other day and we both agree, store bought just is NOT the same!

I linked this post up to Farm Photo Friday over at Fresh from the Farm!

Weekend in a Word - Pruning

It's been a dreary weekend here weather-wise and we we're hoping *someone* would maybe go into labor! No such luck! So, I mopped floors and groomed horses and hubby worked in the orchard.

The time to prune your trees in our area is between January-March...but quite frankly, February was miserable, I can't remember January, and so now here we are in March doing the pruning. Ok, not we, but hubby! We pruned in March last year too. At least, although dreary, the weather has broke a little. Pruning can be a work out so if you don't have to tromp around in feet of snow, it makes it a tad easier.

This is a Quince tree after pruning.

Here hubby is evaluating which cuts he'll take.

And he prunes away!

I don't know if you can tell very well in this picture, but these are all suckers cut from this tree laying all over the ground. I must say, my LEAST favorite part about running the orchard is going through after pruning and picking up all the clippings!

Orchard Help

The 'Farm Manager', Savannah, likes to help pick apples!

On a side note, I am a tad sadden at the way our apple crop is looking this year :( But, I guess you'll have that when working with mother nature.

Wednesday [in a word]

APPLES

An Orchard Update, June 8

The Orchard is coming along despite the fact that we are behind on our spray schedule because of tractor is out of commission yet again.

I love this picture :) Baby Red Delicious Apples! And trust me, though you may think this variety is boring and un-flavorful, I bet you'd change your mind if you tried it fresh off a tree!

A Quince. Can you tell it has a fuzzy skin to it? Kind of like a peach. Once they ripen, the fuzz comes off and they are a shiny lime-yellow color. And they smell like sweet pineapple as you walk through the orchard.

This is frost damage on a pear :/ It really doesn't hinder the flavor of the fruit, it just leaves unsightly brown blotches.

Frost damage on an apple that fell with 'June Drop'; June Drop is when the apple trees naturally thin out their crops by the smallest apples dropping off on their own so the larger ones, your 'king' apples, can continue to grow and mature without competing for energy.

Apple with frost damage

Farmer's Market Success?

So last nights Farmer's Market in Orrville was not, I assume, as busy as a Farmer's Market could be, but it was a good experience.

On my way there, I stopped to grab an iced coffee and some fast food. At the first drive-thru window where I needed to pay, the young kid at the window proceeded to comment on how man apples I had in my car...as if I hadn't noticed! Then, at the second window, the younger dark haired kid exclaimed, "Whoaaa [imagine this is young, male teen "far out dude" voice!] That is a lot of apples you have in there....ya get a good deal or something at a market or orchard or something?" I thanked him for my order and explained that I WAS the orchard and I was trying to sell them as I pulled away from the window!

I was a little hesitant when I pulled up to see that the only other people with booths set up were Amish. How can I compete with the Amish at a Farmer's Market!! No worries, more local farmers showed up shortly, none of which had apples to sell!

My mom brought beautiful flower bouquets she picked from her gardens as well as fresh basil, thyme, dill and chives. It was a nice touch to help draw attention to our booth.

I found that most of the "older people" who stopped by the booth knew of the apple, a Transparent, and most others had never heard of it and were actually surprised to see someone already selling apples! It was exciting to have some walk up and be excited at the apples at proceed to purchase 2 dozen for sauce making!

Mom had to stroll the lane of vendors to check out everyone's goodies...as well as see who was undercutting her on the price of the herbs ;)

And of course, anytime one of us does something new, it is never not a family party! The only one missing was my brother. My relatives visiting from California were anxious, I am sure, to go home and tell people they vacationed in Orrville, OH!

On a positive note, the apples that sold brought in approx. $20; certainly not a paycheck, but the experience was what mattered! I was lucky enough to have the hubs stay home to look after the dogs and make sure the horses got brought in and fed...and thankfully, he cleaned their stalls too! Now if I can only teach him to do the laundry......