'GoldRush' Apples at Peak Sweetness Now to July

   Our 'GoldRush' apples are now at peak eating quality and will retain their superior quality until July or Aug. Most apple varieties do not retain crispness so long in cold storage, but 'GoldRush' apples do. 'GoldRush' apples also gain sweetness in cold storage as starches convert into sugars.  So they've gotten sweeter over the past 2 months, and will keep well in our cooler or your fridge for 10 to 11 months.  I eat a raw 'GoldRush' apple every day with my lunch.

These 'GoldRush' apples are at peak sweetness now and stay in top condition for 10 months in the fridge.

   We'll have 'GoldRush' apples for sale until we sell out in June or July.  We also have some #1 'Enterprise' apples and some #1 apples of some selections from my apple breeding program.
   I also use #2 apples, with small cracks or other surface damage, in making apple pecan pancakes, applesauce, apple pecan topping for waffles, apple salad, etc.  We have many #2 'Enterprise' apples for sale now until about March or April, whenever we sell out, and they're excellent for making apple pie filling, apple butter or other apple products.  We also have a few #2 'GoldRush' apples with rain cracks, and some #2 apples of some selections from my apple breeding program, excellent for blending in applesauce or apple butter.
   Small amounts of harvested #1 apples cost $1.30 per pound + tax.  I pack them in 20-lb. boxes, which I then weigh to exactly 20.0 lbs., so you save $1.00 if you buy a 20-lb. box of apples for $25.00 + tax.  You can get a 10-lb. bag each of 2 different apple varieties, and still get the 20-lb. discount.
   Our harvested #2 (2nds) apples sell for just $0.93 per pound + tax, so a 20-lb. box costs $18.60 + tax, which is $7.00 less than a box of #1 apples, including tax.  If you get 40 lbs. or more of #2 'Enterprise' apples, the price goes down to just $0.88 per pound + tax, so each 20-lb. box costs $17.59 + tax, and 40 lb. of #2 'Enterprise' apples costs just $35.18 + tax.
   We still have harvested, cracked pecans for sale now until we sell out, probably in March or April.  Our high-efficiency pecan cracking machine blows out most shell fragments, so our bags of cracked pecans contain over 75% nutmeats and less than 25% shell fragments.  Remaining shell fragments come off very easily, and many customers say they can pick out a 4-pound bag of our pecans in 15 minutes or less.

We'll still have these 4-lb.bags of cracked pecans for sale for the next 2 to 4 months or so.  The plastic sample box shows what the pecans look like, and how few shell fragments there are in the bags.

   We sell mixed selections from Bill's pecan breeding program in 4-pound bags.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick them out, you get at least 3 pounds of nutmeats.  These are all large pecans with thin shells and great taste.  Each 4-lb. bag costs $16.67 + tax.
      We also now sell smaller, 1-pound bags of cracked 'Kanza' pecans.  These bags also contain at least 75% kernels, so you get at least 3/4 pound of nutmeats when you pick out the pecans. Each 1-lb. 'Kanza' bag costs $4.63 + tax.

On Sun. morning Feb. 2, I awoke to this gorgeous sky before sunrise.

   From Dec. 1 until May 31, we’re open by appointment.  Phone 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message with your name, day and time you’ll come, and what you want to buy.  Then I'll be in the sales building when you come.  If you want to come that same day, call between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., when I'm still in the house where the phone rings, before I go out to the sales building to sort apples.

These 2 apple trees in my breeding program were grown from seed of controlled crosses, not grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks, so needed a lot of pruning. First Bill made large cuts with a chain saw, here, then I pruned back remaining small branches with hand pruners and loppers.

   As the weather warms up, we'll be out in the orchards more, pruning our fruit trees and berry canes.  On Sun. afternoon Feb. 2 and all day Mon. Feb. 3, temperatures were in the upper 50's and 60's F, so Bill and I did a lot of pruning on some apple trees in my breeding program.  Today it's snowing, so I'm working on the computer in the house, posting this blog.

Here's what the same 2 apple trees looked like after we finished pruning them. They're now open enough to bear high-quality fruit with far less insect damage and diseases.