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?

Picking Pears - Starkrimson

Have I mentioned we've begin the orchard harvesting?

No? :)

This past weekend we took our Starkrimson Pears to the Farmer's Market. These pears are very juicy when ripe and super delicious. People who clearly did not even have an intention to purchase any while at the market take one bite of the samples I set out and instantly they change their minds.

I told Allen that I wish I had a video camera set up to catch peoples reactions when they have a taste! You'd be surprised! I think too many people [myself included at one time] only knew the taste of a pear by those old, last years crop, wax balls you get at your local grocery store. And that is such a shame.

I did have someone even comment that at this past weekends market about how 'you really don't ever get ripe pears anymore'. So true lady! So true.

So anyways, these Starkrimson Pears, we only have one tree with this variety :( And they are gone...GONE already for the season! We picked 2 bushels from the tree and sold out at market. I have a few over ripe ones sitting in a basket that I'll mash up for some sauce and that's it! I need to remember to save more for myself! Gone for another season!



I couldn't resist though, and had one, or maybe 2, while we were picking!



And seriously, is this kid for real?! This is what he did while he watched his momma and daddy pick pears! Good thing he is learning early! Next year he'll be put to work!

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!

Off to Market we go...

This week has begun our official harvesting for the season!

Tomorrow will be our first Farmer's Market for this season.

We'll have Early Mac's and Paula Red Apples.

People love the Early Mac's for the bite they get when munching on one!

We'll also have Starkrimson Pears and Seckel Pears.

Seckel Pears are also known as 'Sugar' or 'Lunchbox' Pears because they are small and taste like you've just plopped a dolop of sugar in your mouth! They sell out fast!

What's your favorite Pear vareity?

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!

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