Something about fruit trees has always interested me, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. If I had to guess, I would say that a number of things contribute. I think that part of it is that I just like fruit. Fruit is generally sweet and delicious but still entirely healthy. It might also be the idea that you can grow or harvest your own food, and in some backwards way you feel like you're cheating the system by not buying fruit from a grocery store. But a fruit tree is not a one-season commitment like most crops, so perhaps because I’ve lacked the dedication to make a long-term commitment, I’ve had a sort of “grass is always greener” mindset. For a long time, I’ve wanted to grow apple trees or any other fruit trees, but it’s such a commitment that I haven’t been ready to make. Most trees take more than five years to come to fruit, and my worry was that I would plant a tree somewhere that I might not have access to later on. So, I contented myself foraging for berries and being jealous of other people’s trees loaded with apples… If you’re starting to feel bad for me (or wonder about me), don’t worry. This past summer, while scouting for deer, I began to notice old fruit trees on a property owned by Emily’s family’s farm. The property is affectionately call “Geher’s” or “Gearzy’s” after the former farm owner. But to me, it’s a little slice of heaven on a hill top on the aptly name Peach Orchard Road. Now these trees are old, and haven’t been cared for in over 20 years, but this year they produced a lot of fruit, which is why they caught my attention. Emily and I went out a few times with Will strapped into the “Ergo” Carrier, picking pears first in August, and then apples later in September. The pear trees were shorter and easier to pick, with some of the ripe fruit laying under the trees. The apple trees were much taller, and I had a ridiculous system of throwing a ratchet strap into the tree to shake the branches, allowing us to collect the apples that fell easily. Will thought this was hilarious. We ate much of the fruit fresh and then had mixed success in canning. I made an amazing apple curry chutney that has gone well with several meals. We made pear sauce, pear juice, apple butter, and some slightly metallic tasting apple juice (not sure what happened there). We also had pear halves that turned to mush during the canning process, causing an epic argument, but we’re keeping at it. Now the fruit in this orchard was not pretty, nor was it very large. Several trees had seen better days and may be near the end. But there are also many, that with the right care and pruning, could be restored. We’ve gotten permission to do some rehab work which will take several years. Unfortunately, trees can only take so much pruning in a season before damage is caused, and with the extensive need for manicuring, it will be sometime until these trees are in a normal annual pruning cycle. We will be leaning on the help and expertise of others as much as possible while we research caring for fruit trees. We are hoping to remove the dead or nearly dead trees (we’ll be using these for some smoked goodies) and replace them with new trees, and possibly some other varieties. It’s hard to say what all will happen with this orchard, but we will do our best to keep you up-to-date. At some point, we would like to have a communal harvest day in which our friends and family can come together to pick fruit, eat, and enjoy each other’s company. Perhaps we can use some pruned apple and pear wood to do a barbeque, and Emily can provide a few of her now “getting famous” sour cream apple pies! Stay tuned!
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The Broken Antler BlogPhotos of beautiful meals & fun cooking stories by The Broken Antler (Zach Stotter), if you're into that sort of thing. Archives
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