Our home as an apple tree, but I don't really know anything about it.
Do you eat the apples? How can you tell if they are ripe? How do you pick them from the upper branches?
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1. Yes.
2. When they look like an apple in the grocery store! (hehe)
3. A ladder.Do you know what kind of apple tree it is?
I had a crab apple tree growing up as a kid and my dad ended up grafting about 5 other types of apples onto the tree. So it essentially grew 6 different kinds of apples. We ate them all, made pies and jams and just ate them. They're delicious!
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Yes
Agree with @.twist.: when it looks right. You can pick one and try it, and then if you like the taste, pick away! We usually pick between now and late September
You can use a ladder or one of these http://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Picker-FRUIT-PICKER-BASKET/dp/B000CZ4J6Y -
Random question--is an apple tree a lot of upkeep? We have been thinking about getting one, but know nothing about caring for one!
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Yes. The previous owners planted it at an odd location where it can't really grow, so we moved it. It's still recovering from the move because it has the tiniest apples. It's an improvement from last year when we had 1 sad apple that we were waiting to ripen, but then a magpie stole it and ate it
Lol.We looked up pruning our fruit trees so that they don't get too high. They're vase shaped (or modified vases), meaning we cut the middle. It's supposed to be good for the health of the tree as well (circulation).
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@Jess1483: awesome. I moved into a house with an apple tree this year and DH and I have been playing games to determine who climbs the ladder to get the apples. That looks so much easier.
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@hilsy85: Yes! If you don't use the apples they fall and turn to mush in your yard.
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@.twist.: @SugarplumsMom: do you know what sort of location would be good for an apple tree? do they need a lot of sun?
I think we could definitely pick and use the apples! I wonder if they attract bears though...
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Okay I feel just stupid, haha. Our apples are really tart. My husband and I keep arguing if it's just the variety, that they aren't ripe yet, or if as he says, they are "crabapple-y". My mil picked all the ones on the lower branches so I don't know if she just picked them too early? I can't reach any more of them.
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@hilsy85: Do you have to worry about bears?? eek!
Ours was in direct sunlight and about 10 feet away from our house. It could have been further for sure. It was a pretty mature tree when they sold and it was getting pretty big and almost touching the roof!
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@hilsy85: Oooh you have a garden! That's so amazing. DH had an apple tree in his yard growing up, he remembers that he used to be in charge of picking up the apples that fell to the ground. He has really good memories of all the apple things his mom and grandmother baked with the apples!
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@jedeve: I'd give them another week, try one, another week, try one, etc. If they start to get mealy before they get good, then next year pick them earlier.
A couple things: the apples on the outside of the tree will ripen first. It should be pretty easy to pick the apples if they are ripe. Twist and pull up, and if they come off easily, they're ripe. You could also take an apple into extension services (I don't know if there's one in your city, but check it out) and they'll identify for you.
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@.twist.: ha yes! we have a lot of bears and deer in the area...if it attracted bears that would not be good. But there are a ton of apple orchards in the area too, so I imagine they must stay away?
@Beehive: yes, upstate! I would love to be able to do that with Lo (we took him apple picking this weekend and it was so fun!)
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@hilsy85: hm. well, my parents deal with bears where they live now, and they have a couple non-fruit trees in their yard and have seen cubs climbing them (rarely). So, I'm not sure if it matters what kind of trees you have, they may attract them anyway? They live in rural area now, so I think that's why. Are you rural?
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@.twist.: yep up in the catskills. We have a lot of trees already, I just didn't know if the fruit on the apple trees would be very appealing to bears. It looks like fruit bearing trees are not recommended, unless you can pick the fruit ASAP
We're not up there all the time so I don't know if it would work...
http://www.bearsmart.com/becoming-bear-smart/home/managing-attractants -
So here are our apples (pacifier for size reference). Are they crabapples? Or just a small variety? Picked too soon? Or did we do something wrong (our sprinkler system did break for a while this summer so it didn't get its drip)? Will they ripen after being picked? Any recipe ideas for small, tart apples?
Could I be any more apple illiterate?
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@jedeve: They do not look like crab apples to me. This is what I know as crab apples, which are pretty tiny.
Have you bit into one? Is it sweet or tart?
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@jedeve: I mean... they might be a large crab apple?? What do the bottoms look like?
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@.twist.: yeah I don't think they are crab apples either. DH just keeps saying they "might be kind of crabappley". I have no idea what he means by that. I don't think "crabappley" is a thing?
They are pretty tart. But the bottom looks like a normal apple.
Eta: I just tried a bigger one and it was much better. The big ones are all up high. I think MIL just picked the lower ones because it was fun for LO and they weren't ripe yet. Maybe I should borrow a ladder this weekend!
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@jedeve: a ripe apple will drop off in your hand if you lift it up and give it a gentle twist. We have three trees that ripen between august and mid October.
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@jedeve: also those don't look particulary small for garden apples. The huge ones in supermarkets have been forced to grow massive.
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These look ripe to me! I'm guessing they're just a small tart variety. Probably not very good eating, but you can make them into a drink - just cut them up, get the seeds out, and boil them with some sugar and cinnamon. Or bake them in a pie or something, that brings out the sweetness too!
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@jedeve: Ours look just like that! But the year before we moved it, it had normal sized apples, so we figured it's root system is still establishing itself after the move. Though there should be apples that are supposed to be small and tart, I just don't know the types. We have a crabapple tree and it's like the picture above.
@hilsy85: Ours is in full sun at the south end of the house, where it's the sunniest. Our neighbor has his in the north end of the house and his is ginormous! I don't think apple trees are that picky, but that may just be the ones around here.
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We have two apple trees. I don't know the first thing about them I'm afraid.... I just let them do their thing and then get up a ladder and pick the apples when they look ripe. Last year we had a bumper crop and made cider - but this year there are hardly any apples on the trees. I have been told that they have a good crop every other year??
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We had an apple tree at our rental house and it wasn't worth the effort. The apples all got attacked by bugs before we had a chance to eat them. We tried doing some prep work before they went bad, but it never worked. Once they all fell from the tree, you get rotten applesauce on your lawn. Yuck!
Lol.
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