Thistle Cove Farm

Home & Homestead Living

  • Blog
  • Home
    • Thistle Cove Farm Privacy Policy
  • Homestead
  • My Story and Travel
    • Email
    • Facebook

Apple Harvest

by Sandra Bennett
TCF

19 Oct
 ~ Granny Smith apples ~

The days have been full of apples – drying, eating, freezing, pies, crisps and giving to the sheep. It’s a good thing the Granny Smith apple tree is outside the sheep lot or there would be blood shed. Probably mine, seeing as how some of the sheep might tip the scales at 300 pounds! The apples that are smallish or misshapen are thrown over the fence so the sheep get a treat as well; the rest are taken to the house for human consumption. The horses get carrots, not apples, as apples may cause them illness in the way of founder. Please God, not founder; there’s been too much of that around here this year.

I don’t pick the apples but, rather, let them fall to the ground and then gather them. Once Granny Smith, indeed most apples, have been hit with a hard frost, they turn so sweet and drippy with juice. We’ve not had a hard frost, most unusual, and the apples still have a bit of twang to them. Still delicious and juicy but not quite as sweet as they would have been had frost hit them. 

I planted this tree about ten or twelve years ago and it’s been a good producer. It should be good for decades and, statistically speaking, will certainly outlive me.

We went on the Paint Lick Ride yesterday and it was glorious! Look for an update later this week and you should plan on going next year; it’s well worth the effort even if you don’t hike to the top of the mountain.


Blessings ~ apples ~ pies ~ crisps ~ muffins ~ bread ~ drying ~

Grace and Peace,
Sandra

Share
Pin
Email

6 Comments

« Sabbath Keeping
Do You Pay Taxes? »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Comments

  1. My Farmhouse Kitchen says

    October 20, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    i love my apples trees…all 2 of them…

    i have a seek-no-further and a pumpkin russet….

    now all i need is an apple pie in my oven

    happy to visit today, my friend
    i have been away too long

    blessings,
    kary

    Reply
  2. Karen says

    October 19, 2010 at 11:31 am

    I didn't know that about frost and apples. We have not yet had luck with apple trees we have planted over the years… I think we need to spend more time learning the art of it.

    Reply
  3. KathyB. says

    October 19, 2010 at 9:31 am

    My sheep love their apple treats too, so do the chickens.

    It is such a blessing to harvest apples from the trees you planted many years ago. Granny Smith apples always remind me of apple pie, yummy home baked apple pie!

    Reply
  4. Flat Creek Farm says

    October 19, 2010 at 2:14 am

    Oh yummy! Glad the sheep could enjoy a few as well. We had a nice surprise this year when an apple tree in my father-in-law's yard produced fruit for the first time. He had completely forgotten about it and so had we. I do remember now that my late mother-in-law had planted it. Needless to say, some sweet apples! I made apple butter and enjoyed some wonderful memories of dear mother-in-law.
    I'll stay tuned for the Paint Lick ride update! It's so gorgeous up in your neck of the woods! -Tammy

    Reply
  5. Deanna says

    October 19, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Blessings to you!

    I learned something about frost and apples turning sweeter. Glad you shared this.

    I am now officially smarter.

    God bless,
    d

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    October 19, 2010 at 1:14 am

    Hearing you describe your apples reminds me of my old neighbor and her apple trees. It was so much fun making delicious apple recipes with her.

    Reply

Comment Policy

Thank you for visiting Thistle Cove Farm; may God bless you, yours and the work of your hands and heart. My goal is to respond, here, to your comments although it may take a while. Anonymous comments negative, rude or detrimental in nature will be removed.

Generational Homesteader

Both sides of my family are homesteaders and I bring 25+ years of personal experience to the table. Are you ready to stake your claim and make your homestead dream come true? Your first step is to sign up for e-mails; it’s where you’ll get the help you need, your questions answered and live your Home and Homestead best life!

Browse by Category

Website Development By…

Gretchen Louise

  • Blog
  • Home
  • Homestead
  • My Story and Travel

Copyright © 2022 · Sandra Bennett · Thistle Cove Farm · All Rights Reserved ·
Ask permission if you'd like to use my photos or my writing. ~Sandra