Apples, apples, apples!

And I don't even have an apple tree.

Since my garden has taken such a blow from being unfenced I thought my preserving practice would have to wait till next year. Then I thought: Well maybe I can buy someone elses produce for a decent price, and I put an ad up on a facebook buy/sell stuff asking for fresh, pesticide free produce.

A lady messaged me back saying I could have as many apples as I wanted from her tree for FREE and it would save her picking them up off the ground.

I picked, and picked, and PICKED until my three year old was moaning "Hooooooooooooooooooome," and I had to go. Lucky I did. I must have over 100 pounds of apples. O.O

Already have the dehydrator humming and a batch of apples cooking for applesauce, and chopping for apple butter and frozen apple slices for my smoothies and...!!!

Yay, AMKuska! I used to make applebutter every year from Northern Spy apple trees!

They would ripen apples just about the first frost. That was a very good time for me to take a few hours for a preserving task. Little tupperware containers would go in the freezer and be available through the winter months.

Last year, I looked for Barlett pears at that late time of the year. I found them! At the soopermarket - but, that was okay. And, I made pear butter. I hadn't made pear butter in about 20 years!

Steve

@AMKuska what a fantastic deal! I not only don't have an apple tree, but nobody else around here does either. 100 pounds! WOW! I am delighted for you!

I think I might have been a bit too enthusiastic though. I've already made half a gallon of applesauce, my dehydrator is crammed full of apple slices, bagged 3 bags of smoothie mix, and all I've done is bring the first basket from heaping to level. x.x

Lucky you AmKuska! Yes, it's a lot of work right now but look how much stuff you will have, and all for the best price Free!

Mary

That's awesome, AMKuska, and very industrious of you! You'll be surprised how quickly a three-year-old can go through a quart of homemade applesauce. I usually make an hour drive to an apple orchard and pay $40 for a couple of bushels of apples. But I think I need to take your approach! Sometimes you can find things like that on Craigslist or in the traders' guide around here too. I've seen potatoes going for $15 a bushel and wonder why the heck I bother to grow my own...

"...wonder why the heck I bother to grow my own..."

Ack! None of that kind of thinking!

... truth be known, i didn't grow potatoes for decades. Then, i discovered that there were gardeners growing all these interesting varieties that i knew nothing about... .

I think "free" (& in good supply) might encourage me to eat a lot. At hand and not wanting to waste the resource must be a primary reason for me to grow food. I recognize it as healthful and try to use a motivation to use garden produce.

Not everything is free or really cheap and there is so much that is so easily available that isn't good food! We could start a "why do you garden thread" but I'm here to tell you ... it can improve your life . We know that and we are hoping that AMKuska continues in her efforts, even while she explores what to do with bounty.

Steve

Bay apple trees need so many hours of chill to produce apples.

Plus you have to understand HOW to prune and then DO it. I didnt and my trees are a MESS!

Nyboy said:

Bay apple trees need so many hours of chill to produce apples.

Click to expand...

There are varieties that grow in Texas and besides, we got AIR CONDITIONERS!