Today was apple-picking day. We have two apple trees in the back yard, one that grows regular sized apples, and one that is some kind of dwarf apple tree that grows smaller sized apples (but they are bigger than crapapples, which, in my estimation, are a total waste of tree. Crabapples are worthless as a fruit because they are too small to do anything with unless you use them to chuck at annoying neighborhood kids to try to get them to leave you alone).
Both trees are heavily laden this year. The apples have started to drop from the tree, and have become fodder for wasps and lady bugs. The wasps like both kinds of apples, but the lady bugs prefer the dwarf apples. I don't mind sharing a few apples with the insects of southern Minnesota, but just a few. They can have the ones on the ground. I get the ones in the tree, thankyouverymuch. Mine. So I had to pick them before the bugs moved upwards. (Plus Mike wants my apples and I'm going out to SoDak on Sunday. Gotta have 'em picked today)
I enlisted the help of Matt and then, later, Hayley to harvest. Matt and I set to work on the tree with the regular sized fruit. It was a big job, and we could only get the apples on the lowest branches. So I sent Matt up the tree. He's small, lightweight, and a boy. Perfect tree-climbing machinery. And he had fun. I set myself to gathering up the apples that he threw down.
I stood back from the tree and couldn't see Matt, but I could see the apples being launched like the tree was spitting them out.
We were out there over an hour and Matt got 99% of the apples off the tree. I took only one picture of him up in the tree because we were too busy working to fiddle with electronic devices.
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| Among the apples |
He was a hard worker, mostly because he got to climb around in a tree. The wasps left us alone, even when we accidentally sat on them. I think they were logy from eating too much.
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| Most of the haul from the one tree. There is still a laundry basket and one other bag not in the picture. |
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When Hayley got home from her gallivanting about town with a friend, I made her go out and pick from the tree with little apples. I didn't help as much because my poor ol' body was tired and sore from a vigorous walk in the morning and the apple-picking earlier in the afternoon. So I took a few more pictures. Because kids in trees is worth taking pictures of.
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| My little dryad |
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| The branch she is standing on bent pretty low to the ground. It will have to come off. The tree needs pruning badly. |
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| My favorite picture. The apple tree grew a leg in addition to all those apples. |
Comments
That looks amazing! Are you keeping any apples and are you going to help Mike with any apple work. And will you get any of the product? CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!
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