We are now closed for the season.  Thankyou to all who made this year fantastic!  Please come back next year!

Applesauce and Pies...Oh My!

    Is anyone hungry for pie?  Or how about fresh apples, applesauce, or apple crisp?  "Mmm!!  Sounds yummy to me!  Where do I find such delicious home made goods?"

At Oregon City Farmers Market, Molalla Apple Festival, and Silverton Farmers Market!

ITEMS FOR SALE AT OREGON CITY: 

• Apples
• Applesauce
• Apple Pie
• Apple Crisp

Tomorrow's Oregon City Farmers Market is part of the Bridge opening celebration.  You can find the full schedule of events by following the link.  http://www.willamettefallsfestival.com/events/
The Market runs from 9am to 2pm, October 13th.

For Sale At Apple Fest and Silverton Farmers Market:

• Apples
• Applesauce 

  The Molalla Apple Festival is an annual event located at the Dibble House.  It goes from 10am to 4pm this Saturday and Sunday.  The link will take you to a local article about the festival.   

http://www.molallapioneer.com/news/2012/October/09/Free.Access/apple.festival.returns.oct.13.for.38th.year/news.aspx

The address is: 

620 S. Molalla Avenue,
Molalla, OR 97038

  Silverton Farmer's Market is a weekly event.  It began May 5th and ends tomorrow, October 13th.  We will have apples and applesauce for sale at this last market of the year.  Follow the link for information about the market.

http://www.silvertonfarmersmarket.org/ 

Photo Credit: Bethany Monroe. Used courtesy of Molalla Pioneer.

Honeycrisp SOLD OUT

Thankyou for a great Honeycrisp season!  We began picking around the 15th of September, and they were here for one and a half weeks.  Now they are sold out.  However, we have several other outstanding varieties available now. The list is as follows:

• Melrose
• Cox's Orange
• Northern Spy
• Spi Jon

Buying Local and from the Farmer is best

I recently read an article in the newspaper about the use of pesticides and fungicides being applied after harvest for the purpose of storage.
Although we do use fungicides and pesticides, we quit using them around the first week of August, allowing time for the chemicals to dissipate. We routinely keep the apples that we pick in October until March. A lot of our customers place them in a refrigerator and keep them until April. Most of the early apples will keep for 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator. No chemicals are applied to achieve this.

If you are interested in reading the article, here is the link:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2011/06/Apples-top-list-of-produce-contaminated-with-pesticides/48332000/1

Gravenstein & Akane: SOLD OUT!

We are sold out of Gravenstein and Akane.  Thankyou to all who came and made it a good season for these two varieties.  We appreciate your business.

   As to what is ripe now, we have Honeycrisp, Cox's Orange, and Melrose ready to pick.  We hope to see you soon!

Gravenstein for the Picking!

  Gravenstein and Akane are ripe!  Gravenstein are a favorite for early bird applesauce makers.  Akane is our favorite early season fresh eater.
  Last Saturday, we went to our first farmer's market of the year.  We will be there again this coming Saturday.
  Some of our repeat customers have already come to pick apples, and we expect more to be coming this next week.  We are excited that the season has begun, and we hope to see you soon!

Farm Loops!

Area farmers have hopped on the farm loop train.  We now have a Canby Farm Loop and a Molalla Farm Loop.  You can find fresh produce, or meet some alpacas.  Visit the farm loop websites and see what is available! 
www.MolallaFarmLoop.com

www.CanbyFarmLoop.com

Painting Trees

I read the following article about preventing vole and borer damage to the trees:

http://fruitgrowersnews.com/index.php/magazine/article/painting-tree-trunks-protects-against-rodents-borers

The article recommends painting the tree trunks with a mixture of latex paint, drywall joint compound, and water. Very interesting. We might try this.

Orchard Care

Last Sunday, we spread lime in the orchard; approximately 2 tons on the acre of apples. (This translates into 15 lbs/tree.) Nitrogen will be given to the trees that need it. Lime sulfur and oil were also applied for the dormant spray.

Our trees are starting to push their buds; before we know it they will be in bloom.

Pruning Time and Apple Wood

Although we have had a lot of wet days, it's a great time to get started with pruning. Caleb is giving the trees quite a haircut! Trees that didn't bear well the last few years are being removed. They will be replaced. As a result, we have a large pile of apple wood.

I look forward to roasting a chicken with apple wood. Split a whole chicken in half. Place over a low fire, using apple wood, for about 2 hours. Check occasionally. One side often gets a bit burnt, but it doesn't affect the flavor. The chicken will be moist and juicy. Oh.....so good!