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Sunday, September 12, 2010
apples
one more from our recent trip to canada. my parents are apple growers - they have about 400 trees planted on their mixed use farm. here is a shot of one of those trees. this photo is of an old variety they grow called gravenstein.
My late grandparents in Kansas City had a gigantic, ancient apple tree in their back yard that produced oodles of apples. One year, during a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning hit the tree and split the trunk right down the middle. Not one to be deterred, my grandpa (with the help of friends) put a huge chain around the trunk and cinched it as tightly as he could. The tree continued to produce until the entire property was demolished after their death to make room for a freeway.
Apple trees are amazing things. My dad's uncle had a tree that he had grafted 4 different varieties on to. It was massive, and produced a different apple in a different part of the fall growing season.
Yingst farms at the Victory park farmer's market has Gravensteins. They're a tasty German apple that makes good apfelsaft. And guess what? The small apple tree that previous owners had planted in a very unsuitable place in my garden has produced two apples for the first time in 10 years. And they're Gravensteins!
But I miss Cox's Orange Pippin. Is it grown anywhere on this continent?
Not sure. Sadly my parent's wealth of apple knowledge was never passed on in detail to me. I know a bit about what they grow, but not much more besides the fact that I don't like grocery store apples much.
4 comments:
That's a gorgeous shot, Ben.
My late grandparents in Kansas City had a gigantic, ancient apple tree in their back yard that produced oodles of apples. One year, during a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning hit the tree and split the trunk right down the middle. Not one to be deterred, my grandpa (with the help of friends) put a huge chain around the trunk and cinched it as tightly as he could. The tree continued to produce until the entire property was demolished after their death to make room for a freeway.
Apple trees are amazing things. My dad's uncle had a tree that he had grafted 4 different varieties on to. It was massive, and produced a different apple in a different part of the fall growing season.
Yingst farms at the Victory park farmer's market has Gravensteins. They're a tasty German apple that makes good apfelsaft. And guess what? The small apple tree that previous owners had planted in a very unsuitable place in my garden has produced two apples for the first time in 10 years. And they're Gravensteins!
But I miss Cox's Orange Pippin. Is it grown anywhere on this continent?
Not sure. Sadly my parent's wealth of apple knowledge was never passed on in detail to me. I know a bit about what they grow, but not much more besides the fact that I don't like grocery store apples much.
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