It’s been raining so much here
that you would think we still
lived on the coast. But other
than the Boo’s constant
complaints about being held
captive inside by “those useless
servants” who are worried about
his sneezing fits, no one else is
concerned. We found a sunny
break in the weather, and hustled
over to the local apple farm, one
more item crossed off of our to do
list before winter sets in.
Do you buy your apples direct from the farm, and or market? Can you tell the difference between just off the tree, and stored for a year? I sure can!
Next up, more applesauce, and some dried apples when the humidity goes down a bit. I bought a dehydrator, and while I love it, the humidity levels outdoors have a great deal to do with how well things turn out. [Yes, Mom, you were right after all].
After running it for two days, we had finally had a almost solid grape fruit leather, it took ages to set up, but it’s worth it. The herbs I tried to dry were a bust, only the parsley worked, everything else just didn’t hang out together.
About those apples….can I tell you to march yourself out that door and find a farmers market, a grower, anyone with “real” apples that have just come off of the tree.
There is nothing on earth like a “real” apple, one that is fresh, not stored for a year like the ones that you buy in the store.
There is simply no comparison, tell them Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams sent you, they might even give you a few extras.
Crunching…..Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Yes mam Jen. Anything fresh is waay better than store bought. AND to snap it off the twig is even better!
ReplyDeleteWe buy apples directly from the farm store, nice and fresh and crisp.
ReplyDeleteSadly, no fresh apples around here... plan to buy two apple trees again this year, and try my luck... I've had a couple of trees in my yard, but for some reason they last 2-3 years, then die... so, I'll try again! They do look delicious though! Yum! Cheers
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos!!! we were lucky to have our own apples now we buy from the apple truck that comes north every Fall, you are right, fresh is best!
ReplyDeleteI'm making a crisp out of my real apples, for the weekend. We had plenty of orchards back in town. Since we've moved to the northwoods, I have found a new orchard!!! Yeah!!!
ReplyDeleteNo orchards around here anymore. Two raspberry farms sell berries in September, but that's it for local fruit.
ReplyDeleteI do love freshly picked apples because they aren't coated with wax like those in the stores. My favorite fall apple is Jonathan but for some reason, I can't find them in any store.
The orchards are not as plentiful around here as I'd like, it's a bit of a drive. BUT there is nothing like apples or any fruit fresh from an orchard, amazing the difference. Someone recently told me I could get cheaper apples at the store, sigh.
ReplyDeleteOh, a freshly picked apple sounds so good. Your pictures are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI agree Jen. In fact, I seldom buy store apples after February as they are just tasteless. Sadly, our orchards are closed for the season and I had to break down and buy a bag of Cortlands at the grocery. At least I know they are fairly fresh for now. ;)
ReplyDeleteRain here too on the coast, if possible probably even more than you have had!
ReplyDeleteI love fresh apples, we have two trees and when they are gone we get some when we go to the Okanagan Valley or from the Apple Fair at the UBC Botanical Garden in the fall.
I have been drying apple slices in my oven at 125 F, takes a while but they are great.
We planted our own apple trees, planned different maturity dates. We got excited about different kinds, now there are 6 different ones (3 are still too young to bear), We have fresh apples in
ReplyDeleteAugust, the next tree produces at the end of August, the others are late apples that need frost to sweeten: Norland Haralred, Fall Red, Honeycrisp, Goodland and September Ruby. We are in Zone 3, so that limits our varieties (good thing, since there are only 2 of us).
There's three different apple trees in the yard. Sadly they are being eaten by critters. I did not get a chance to pick as many as last year. We noticed that there was not much taste to the Russets this year. For now on, we will have to buy them at the store.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of wonderful orchards here that you can go and pick your own , it is fun and the apples are amazing ! We live in farm country and the produce in this area is amazing as well. Lovely photos ! Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteFresh is better! I had made applesauce in the crock-pot and it is simple and delicious..
ReplyDeleteJen - We are lucky to have lots of farmers markets not too far away. It does make a big difference in the taste.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love is when their corn comes in in the summer!! Yum!1
Judy
I can tell the difference and I am a far cry from being a farmer! But I always try to support the local growers because I'd rather they get my money directly (even when they charge as much as the stores) because I think they truly deserve every penny for their dedication and hard work!!
ReplyDeleteMichigan is really known for it's apple farms, but sadly, we haven't been there in awhile so I buy them at the grocery store which claims they are locally grown (probably from Michigan!). I love making pies and crumbles and cobblers with apples, somehow I feel I'm eating healthier!
ReplyDeleteRain here, too, for the last 3 days but sun on the horizon. Yay!
XO,
Jane
Mmmmm... you are SO right! There's nothing better than a fresh picked apple. Especially a nice tart Granny Smith or a sweet Gala. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI have never in my life bought an apple from an orchard. I can see this is something I must correct! My mouth was watering just looking at them and listening to you. I know they have them here. At least at Farmer's markets. I had no idea the store ones were a year old. Thank you Johnny Appleseed (a favorite record from my childhood)! Ann
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a lovely day Jen and you are so right about the apples, you can't beat fresh! We used to live on my FIL's orchard and were able to walk out the door and pick a ripe, fresh apple every summer and fall. I can't abide eating apples from a store now, so tasteless and mealy, yuck! We have one poor little apple tree where we are now but we are a little too high in elevation for the apples to quite ripen before winter sets in. This year was the best year yet for our tree and we managed to get a few before the deer helped themselves! Lovely photos, you are so very talented. Have a crunchy bite for me please and good luck with the dehydrating! Deb
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon! Those apples look delicious!
ReplyDeleteAnd guess what? Your beautiful cards arrived in the post! Thank you so much. Will give you a shout out on Facebook!
You are SOOO right- I can hardly stand to eat those supermarket apples. They have lost so much flavor. Granddad AA used to pick them from the orchard and then store them in SAND in a root cellar for the winter. They were AMAZINGLY fresh when you took one out. Those old timers sure knew what they were doing sometimes! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteWhen the kids were small we used to drive out to the country regularly to pick fruit: strawberries, blueberries, cherries, apples.We made it an overnight camping trip. Now those trips provide a lot of great memories, and pictures to laugh over.
ReplyDeleteNow we go to the farmer's market when we can.
We have two apple trees (not crabapple) and in the last two years we've had terrible crops. Not one apple saved. The birds and the bugs on the other hand, have had a wonderful feast.
ReplyDeleteI remember getting a really good small green apple in the Okanagan. I think they're called Transparent (?).
Have a great day!
I used to go apple picking until I realized all the growers in the area prayed their trees...so I prefer no chemicals...Nov has been dry here..very unusual.
ReplyDeleteyum, yum, yum. love fresh apples. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the signs..those apples sound great! :)
ReplyDelete