Harvesting and preserving

Last week I noticed the apples were ripening. This week I ended up with a small bucketful.

 

The apple trees are laden, but I thought it would be another few weeks until they ripened.

But when I realised some critter was eating them I investigated further.
Suddenly it was time to do something with them. I now have quite a lot of apple sauce. Great for on the oatmeal on these continuing cold mornings.

Then while I was on a roll I did a batch of tomato relish- a recipe I inherited from my mum.

 

When I got back to Canada in July, I started a new batch of sour dough starter. It always seems to take a while for the starter to get lively. The first few loaves are always a little solid.

But the starter is great now, and it is making me some great bread.

I am experimenting with using 1/2 cup of oat flour to replace some of the whole wheat spelt flour I used previously. So far so good. I've also replaced some of the whole wheat spelt with rye flour with good results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An apple by any other name.

Yesterday there was an apple on the ground. After sampling it we decided that it was ripe, so we picked some more.
I think this tree is ready to go. It seems early to me. I thought I'd have to wait a few more weeks. I don't know which one this is. I did write down the 5 varieties we planted 2 years ago, but that was before we moved, and the book is still packed in a box somewhere. It could be a Cortland. I know one of them was.

 

I'm not sure we have enough that any will last for a pie. They sure taste good straight off the tree.

 

The tree is not very tall and the echinacea have grown right up into it. The tree was growing hard against a building, almost naturally espaliered against the wall with only a little pruning. But the weight of the apples and a few hard rainfalls seem to have given it a list away from the wall. We may have to anchor it back to the wall somehow.

I'm hoping the deer don't find the tree before we've finished harvesting.

 

 

Apples

A couple of years ago we planted 5 apple trees.This year one has a couple of dozen apples on it. Three others have a couple, and one seems to be putting all its energy into grown very big.
So we are looking forward to September when we can start to eat them.

Last evening a deer and her young fawn wandered through the property. I am happy to see them as deer proofing the vege garden seems to be working, and they don't seem that interested in the flowers. lets hope that doesn't change. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me!