Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sorting Apples & Pruning Pears

   We took advantage of the warmer weekend, in between the frigid air masses of last week and those coming next week, to do some pruning on the pear orchard.  Pear trees tend to grow straight up, so we need to keep pruning taller branches back each winter, especially on our oldest pear trees, planted 14 years ago.  Later this winter we'll prune the apple orchard, then the peach orchard.
I pruned back many taller branches on our oldest pear trees this weekend.
   On colder days I sort apples in the sales building.  Many people have come to buy apples in the last few days, and tomorrow I deliver 80 pounds of apples to Chetopa School, so I now need to do a lot more sorting.  On the coldest days, when temperatures inside the sales building are below 40 F, I do computer work in the house instead.
   Bill made several batches of black raspberry jam on Sat. morning, using all the black raspberries I'd picked and frozen last summer.  We still have many of Bill's homemade jams and preserves for sale, as well as apples.
Some mornings I eat raisin bread toast with Bill's homemade jams and preserves for breakfast. Pear preserves (top left), peach rum preserves (top right),and black raspberry jam (bottom) all taste great.
   We'll still have apples for sale for the next 4 months, and from Dec. 1 to May 31 we're open by appointment, so call or e-mail a day or so in advance and leave a message saying when you're coming to get apples.  For highway detour directions, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on Older Posts.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Fresh Apples Can Help You Lose Weight

   We still have many great-tasting 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale, both #1's for fresh eating and #2's for baking or cooking.  'Enterprise' apples store well in a refrigerator or cooler for 6 to 7 months, and 'GoldRush' apples store well in a refrigerator or cooler for 7 to 8 months.  I eat a fresh 'GoldRush' apple every day with my lunch, and we use 'Enterprise' apples many mornings in pancakes or muffins, and many evenings in cooked apples with dinner.

'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples well in a refrigerator for 6 to 8 months, taste great, and can help people lose weight.  I took these apples out of our cooler today to take this photo.
   Fresh apples have many health benefits.  They're high in calcium, good for building bones and teeth, and help prevent bone loss and tooth decay when eaten regularly.  Apples are high in fiber, crunchy, and satisfy your sweet tooth, yet are low in calories.  Fresh apples fill you up without causing weight gain, and can help you lose weight if you eat fresh apples instead of fattening foods.  Eating apples regularly also helps prevent colon cancer, some other cancers and some digestive problems.  There is truth in the old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
   Apple prices are now $1.00 less for each 20 lbs. than last fall.  Smaller amounts of harvested #1 apples are still $1.21 per pound + tax, but 20 lbs. #1's are now just $22.29 + tax ($1.11 per pound), and 40 lbs. #1's are just $42.73 + tax ($1.06 per pound).  Lesser amounts of harvested #2 apples are still $0.83 per pound + tax, but 20 lbs. #2's are now just $14.86 + tax ($0.74 per pound), and 40 lbs. #2's are just $27.87 + tax ($0.70 per pound).  You can also get the 40-lb. discount by buying 20 lbs. #1's and 20 lbs. #2's.
      We'll have apples for sale for the next 5 months, and from Dec. 1 to May 31 we're open by appointment, so call or e-mail a day or so in advance and leave a message saying when you're coming to get apples.  If you want apples, we'd appreciate it if you'd come to get some soon, since our cooler is full and we still have a few stored in our garage, where they're protected from this cold weather.  For highway detour directions, scroll down 4 posts.
I hand-harvested the lower limbs of the young pecan trees around our house last Sat., and Bill knocked the pecans from the upper limbs with a pole and picked up the nuts from the ground.
   Last Saturday before the last cold snap hit us, Bill and I hand-harvested the young pecan trees around our house, that Bill planted and grafted 6 and 7 years ago.  We got just enough for our own use.  We also have a 15-acre pecan breeding project: pecan seedlings from controlled crosses that Bill and the staff of the Kansas State University Pecan Experiment Field evaluated this past fall.  Bill has made several selections from this breeding project, and grafted them at the KSU Pecan Experiment Field.  This spring we plan to buy a pecan shaker for our farm, and hopefully we'll start selling pecans grown on our farm in fall 2014.