It's apple harvest season where I live in the Northeast United States.
Yesterday, I visited several suburbs of Syracuse, New York, including LaFayette, a major apple growing town in our state.
I was hoping so I could bring you pictures of an apple orchard which is one of the nation's finest (in my humble opinion) but it was so crowded (yes, it's outside, and we would be wearing masks, but still) we decided not to park and investigate it.
I'll have to content myself with a picture taken from the car of an orchard near nearby Nedrow, New York. These trees are dwarf trees, which are dwarfed by being grafted onto certain rootstock.
Some of those participating in #ThursdayTreeLove live in tropical or subtropical areas of our world, and grow fruits (such as mangoes) we can't. But our climate is perfect for other fruits, including the apple. Some of the varieties we can get locally, in fact, aren't found in the average American supermarket.
Here's a closeup of an apple tree from back in August. These apples are green and not ripe yet. When ripe, many apples turn red, but some will still have green or yellowish green skins.
One is Ginger Gold, a yellow-green apple being harvested where I live now. This apple was found growing near a Golden Delicious apple in Virginia during the 1960's and now is cultivated as its own variety. It is good both for eating and baking (but better for baking, I think).
Many apples excel in one or the other (either good for fresh eating or baking). My favorite baking apple won't be ready for a few more weeks, though.
Want to make some delicious applesauce? Here's my no-fail recipe for Lazy Applesauce.
Joining up with Parul for #ThursdayTreeLove. Why not check out the trees bloggers from around the world are posting today?
Hi Alana - wonderful that apples are now in full ripening mode. I can imagine how full the area was ... it seems with no other places to visit much of the public is going outside. Enjoy your apple time - especially those fresh from the tree. Take care - Hilary
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about why that crowd was there. And it was a crowd. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
DeleteApparently, we know about color blindness due to an apple picker who could not be taught to pick ripe red apples. (Happy apple season.)
ReplyDeleteInteresting story about how color blindness was discovered. It makes sense.
DeleteYour favorite baking apple: Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, or something else?
ReplyDeleteNorthern Spy is my favorite for baking. Russets are good for baking, too (heirlooms). I can buy them at the farmers market an hour from here (they are not widely available even at farmers markets). They tend to have brown skins.
Delete...LaFayette sure is apple country!
ReplyDeleteIndeed! I'm going to do a post in the next few days mentioning LaFayette, but on a sadder note.
DeleteI LOVE apples! Fortunately, we can grow them here as well!
ReplyDeleteWe have two trees. A crab and a 'Summersweet'. All fruit is sacrificed to the applesauce gods. Quarts and quarts of it.
(It ends up in pies for Pie Night in March--COVID permitting!)
I'm not optimistic about COVID and next March, and hoping strongly that I'm wrong.
DeleteI love apples! Fresh, sauced, pied, dried, baked... I make a really easy apple butter in the slow cooker (I would say "crock pot" but I have a different brand!). We used to go picking ourselves, now I buy boxes of them. I had a tree. Didn't work out.
ReplyDeleteI can almost smell that bin of apples and crisp fall air. Love your pictures!
ReplyDeleteApple season!
ReplyDeleteI used to take my kids apple picking on the East End of Long Island. The only trees they have are dwarfs. Makes it easy to pick the apples.
Love apples and apple pie 🥧
ReplyDeleteEating freshly plucked apples is great luxury.. one that i enjoyed once when we trekked in the Himalayas. Now we make do with those available in the market. I haven't made applesauce but apple pie and apple crumble is among my favourites!
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to see these trees and apples. In India too during the apple season, up North we see a lot of harvest. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! See you tomorrow.
You have reminded me what a gift fruit trees are and not to take them for granted.
ReplyDeleteLovely trees Alana.Its always a pleasure to see pictures of apple trees laden with apples. This does not grow where I live, though we do get a lot of apples, some from up north where they're grown and some imported varieties.
ReplyDelete