rain, rain GO AWAY

And yet another day is lost that could have been spent getting apples off the orchard floor. Boo on rain! Go out west, where you're needed!

Boy, do we need a tractor!

I'll post photos soon, but today I'll just tell you that Jody and I have been making progress on the non-orchard part of the yard. One of the strangest things we have to do is to pull up apple saplings. "But Julie," you might say, "you're growing apples! Why pull up apple saplings?"

That's a fine question, my friend. But here's the story: Real apple trees, the ones you find growing in our orchard and every other orchard, are all grafted in order to combine what's called root-stock and fruit-stock. The saplings that are growing in our yard are just root-stock, so the fruit they produce would be sub-par. Besides, we have 1200 trees. You think we should have more? If so, you can help me thin next year!

We started pulling the saplings with our mighty Forester, but decided not to wreck the clutch on our little project. So we invited our friend Cos and his (genuinely) mighty truck to come over and play. The boys and the truck made quick work of the saplings.

Thanks for the help, Cos! You rock!

Ridogulous

Those of you who know Weasley know that he isn't especially dog-like. He doesn't get excited when you say "dinner", "treat", "walk" or "outside". He hates car trips. He's not much for barking. And he doesn't play fetch.

Or does he?

This picture was taken after playing fetch with an apple for about half an hour. Yes, an apple. I swear I'm not making this up. We tried substituting a small tennis ball, but he wasn't having it. He wanted to fetch the apple.

I love this dog!

By the way, your dogs are welcome at LDO when you come to pick your apples. If I get my act together in time, I'll make a small fenced-in area so everyone can hang out off leash. If I don't, they'll have to stay on leash. But do bring them (assuming they like to travel more than Weasley).

Thoughts on Thinning

Apple trees need to be thinned. This means reducing the amount of fruit the tree produces naturally. We do this because the tree produces as many blossoms as it can, in order to increase its chances of reproduction. But apple growers want quality fruit. So we reduce the quantity, in order to redirect the trees' energy to growing the tastiest fruit possible.

Conventional growers spray chemicals on the trees shortly after pollination (in general). The weaker buds fall off, and what's left becomes big, healthy fruit. But I can't use those sprays, so I have to use alternative approaches. This year, that means hand-thinning.

I have learned this: thinning by hand is INSANE. It's absurdly time-consuming, and for a rookie like me, it can even be scary. Some of the trees are quite tall, and getting high enough to reach all the fruit can be precarious. Jody and I have both had some heart-stopping moments when the ladder wobbled. Yikes. Also, I'm having a really hard time finding hired hands to help. I had assumed that there would always be guys around who were looking for work. And that may be true. But I don't know yet how to find them. So we're behind on the work. So I apologize for the effect that might have on the trees.

That said, there is SO MUCH FRUIT out there. You will absolutely believe you are in Eden when you come. And yes, I'll have lots of different recipes to give you, to help you use up all that wonderful fruit!

Too Many Apples...

Man, it's hot out and I am WAY behind on the thinning. Wish me cool thoughts!

Worse than Elmer Fudd

I am a terrorist of rabbits. It's true. I don't mean to be; I just am. I was out the other day, mowing the orchard to gear up for thinning (about which, more later). So there I am, mowing away. The garden tractor is LOUD and I tend to assume that critters will hear me coming and get out of the way. But then I see said critters, scampering off in a panic. The poor things. As far as I know, I have no reason to scare them off. Unlike the woodchucks...

How to get ahead in the apple business

Yes, I do favor the low-hanging fruit.

Conundrum

If the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is this deer my friend? I find it a challenge to believe that, but there she was, chewing on the sumac. Anyone who helps me contain the menace of sumac, well, I have to love. Okay deer, here's the deal: You eat the sumac and I won't hang bars of stinky soap in the orchard for you to nibble on. But we're going to have trouble if you go after the apples...