Apple trees

[Pappy]

As I am driving I see hundreds of Apple trees just standing along the roads at the edge of fields in peoples yards with lots of Apples. I often wonder what kind they are. I am tempted to stop some time with permission of course and try a few out. I am going to have to find out whose they are and try and get permission. It seems such a waste well not a waste at it feeds wildlife but to see all these apples and think hmmm that would make a great Apple dumplin' which btw I am eating right now haha.

My Apple tree has the most it ever has in the 21 years i have lived here. That total is 5 and they are puny.

[Petee]

On 9/11/2023 at 11:14 AM, Pappy said:

As I am driving I see hundreds of Apple trees just standing along the roads at the edge of fields in peoples yards with lots of Apples. I often wonder what kind they are. I am tempted to stop some time with permission of course and try a few out. I am going to have to find out whose they are and try and get permission. It seems such a waste well not a waste at it feeds wildlife but to see all these apples and think hmmm that would make a great Apple dumplin' which btw I am eating right now haha.

My Apple tree has the most it ever has in the 21 years i have lived here. That total is 5 and they are puny.

Apples require pruning and shaping when they are young, the right place to survive well, and then some help with bugs and diseases.  Some of the ones you are seeing are old hardy heirloom varieties that aren't sold anywhere anymore because they aren't the sweet juicy fancy developed apples we are used to today.  This was an excellent year for everything that grows.  Get out of your car and ask to taste one of the ones you are seeing.  Odds are they don't taste as good as they look.  Most of the hardier and older varieties were grown with a specific purpose in mind, and it wasn't just so you can pick it up and fill your mouth with instant juicy sweet-tart deliciousness like those from the market.  Getting the one you really like and that will fill the use you have for them (fresh eating, baking, long storage, fall apples, early summer apples. soft apples, hard apples, crab apples, cider apples) means you have to make some decisions and dedicate yourself to caring for them for years till they reach maturity unharmed by what they experienced in their early years.

By the way, not every apple will make a decent apple dumpling, and the commercial ones I've had a usually tough, terrible tasting and not worth the calories, they're not the apple dumplings that Grandma made.  She knew all the special details and took time to make them just right.  

Yellow Transparent is a great apple but they fall off of the tree when they are ripe and then rot almost immediately.  That may have been what you were seeing.  They do NOT store at all.

Not every apple is good for everything. That's why older generations of people learned to graft their trees which is probably what you are seeing in people's yards.  They grafted for tree size, hardiness, storage qualities, early or late ripening, fruit texture, size and flavor. 

My 5 favorites are all in a row where I planted them, and with a little more work than I have put into them in the past, they would be everything I want in an apple crop.  I get what I put good quality work into.  I didn't inherit a farm with lots of old amazing trees that are now producing well but also falling apart.  Trees have a life span.  

If you want to learn how to plant and care for apples of your own choosing, the ones you know are your favorites, then talk to a Master Gardener and learn how complicated/easy it is to grow those special apples.  You can also call a Master Gardener and ask to have information sent to you, get out the shovel, go to a grafting workshop and buy good quality apple trees, then take proper care of them.  You can learn to prune and feed your tree so you get more apples that are larger and healthier, and more to your liking.  It takes time but you can do it.  

Master Gardeners are there for reason, and this is one of them.  Their advice is researched properly and it's free!

[dubois_15801]

I'm know I'm a bit late to the party, but most of those apple trees produce an apple that really isn't pleasant to eat straight/raw.   They tend to be tart and hard.  Now, they are good for cooked/baked goods like pies.  Cooking them helps convert some of the matter into sugars to dissipate the tart nature of them.  And with them being firmer than your typical store apple, they tend to hold together instead of turn to mush.

Lots of those trees were planted to have a supplementary food source(pies), or to make cider/wine from.  ...and to feed livestock.

You'll be surprised if you bite into one and expect it to be as tasty as a Red Delicious from the grocery store. 

We still have a couple of those trees on our farm - planted in the early 1900's.   Our oldest tree died about 15-20 years ago that was near the house, so we had to remove it.  It was planted in the second half of the 1800's when the farm was established.  Once every couple years I'll go get some for the old lady to make a desert with.  I like to occasionally cut them in quarters, trim out the centers, then put them on the grill and baste them with honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon.   I'll throw some soaked apple wood chips on the coals to add some smokey flavor to them too.

[Petee]

Also, most trees produce lots of fruit every other year, not every year.  If you get a heavy crop one year then the tree will have a very light or non-existent crop the next year.  Of my five, only one produced well this year but the other four dropped all of their apples early in the spring.  They were not able to replace enough carbs in their roots to replace what they expended last year so once they were fertilized, they dropped what they knew they could not finish.

[dubois_15801]

I concur.  They are much like nut-bearing trees.  You have off & on years.  Sure, you'll get a few random fruit/nuts on an off year.  An on year will bear much more, relatively.

I have (1) large black walnut tree at the corner of my property and 3 or 4 10-15ft younglings.  This year was an on year, last year an off year.  

My parents'(just mom now) pecan trees in FL are the same way.

 

[Pappy]

On 10/2/2023 at 12:44 AM, dubois_15801 said:

I'm know I'm a bit late to the party, but most of those apple trees produce an apple that really isn't pleasant to eat straight/raw.   They tend to be tart and hard.  Now, they are good for cooked/baked goods like pies.  Cooking them helps convert some of the matter into sugars to dissipate the tart nature of them.  And with them being firmer than your typical store apple, they tend to hold together instead of turn to mush.

Lots of those trees were planted to have a supplementary food source(pies), or to make cider/wine from.  ...and to feed livestock.

You'll be surprised if you bite into one and expect it to be as tasty as a Red Delicious from the grocery store. 

We still have a couple of those trees on our farm - planted in the early 1900's.   Our oldest tree died about 15-20 years ago that was near the house, so we had to remove it.  It was planted in the second half of the 1800's when the farm was established.  Once every couple years I'll go get some for the old lady to make a desert with.  I like to occasionally cut them in quarters, trim out the centers, then put them on the grill and baste them with honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon.   I'll throw some soaked apple wood chips on the coals to add some smokey flavor to them too.

Yes that is what I thought also. I figured some would make great dumplings. Putting them on the grill sounds delicious

[Polo]

I have a bunch of apple trees, as well as pear, cherry, peach, and blueberry bushes.  My blueberries do well every year.  However, as Petey said, the other items not so much.  Yes, this year was a notable banner year.  I was so busy during harvest season, and didn't get much of a break until recently.  Pear jam and bread, peach pie, apple sauce, jam, and bread, and blueberry picking kept us plenty busy.  Not to mention the big cucumber, and pepper crops this year as well.  My tomatoes were ok but not as plentiful as I would have liked.  I grow heirloom tomatoes, and they are very late compared to other varieties I have grown.  I hate to think of next near.  Will be disappointed if its not as good.  Guess we have to take what we get, though.

[Petee]

3 hours ago, Polo said:

I have a bunch of apple trees, as well as pear, cherry, peach, and blueberry bushes.  My blueberries do well every year.  However, as Petey said, the other items not so much.  Yes, this year was a notable banner year.  I was so busy during harvest season, and didn't get much of a break until recently.  Pear jam and bread, peach pie, apple sauce, jam, and bread, and blueberry picking kept us plenty busy.  Not to mention the big cucumber, and pepper crops this year as well.  My tomatoes were ok but not as plentiful as I would have liked.  I grow heirloom tomatoes, and they are very late compared to other varieties I have grown.  I hate to think of next near.  Will be disappointed if its not as good.  Guess we have to take what we get, though.

Work on your tomato soil this fall remembering to move them to a totally different part of the garden to avoid pests and diseases.  Test the soil now for proper fertility levels and amend immediately.  You can pick up a Penn State Soil test kit at DuBois Feeds, Agway or your county Penn State Extension office.  Pick a winter sown crop that dies out over the winter.  Then you don't have to till it under. You can leave it in place as a mulch.  Do not till your garden, but use a spade fork or broad fork to OPEN the soil.  That allows nutrients and needed oxygen to get down to root level which is much lower than you might think.  It also does not disturb the microbiotic life which is what really feeds your plants., nor does it kill earthworms which tunnel oxygen and nutrients to your plants.  

It seemed like this year was very wet, but not actually.  There were few drenching rains which penetrated down to the needed levels.  It was really surface moisture which does no reach the lowest roots.  Again, if your soils were compacted by tilling, they probably didn't get down anyway near low enough to wet those areas enough to support good root growth.  Good soaker hoses can help that but you have to leave them in place long enough to really saturate deep down at least once a week.  Also, use an organic tomato food, not a general garden food.  Dissolve the food in water and then soak throughly around the root system.  You will see better tomatoes.