Marquam Meadows Fruit Company

Pruning Time and Apple Wood

2012-02-24T23:20:00.007-08:00

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!

Wow! What a Day!

2011-11-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

While walking through the orchard yesterday, I saw how many apples were still on the trees. The first hard freeze would come on November 1st. Any apples left would after the frost wouldn't be any good. There would be no way to pick the 4000 pounds of apples in time.

As I was thinking about how blessed we have been this season, an idea came to me. What if I invited people to come and pick for free? I sent an invitation via e-mail out to families who might not be able to afford to pick apples. Many families came and picked.

At the end of the day, the orchard was picked clean. Even the apples on the ground were picked up! This is one of the greatest things we have ever done at the farm. Apples were not wasted, and many people in need of them were able to benefit.. The orchard looks better than it ever has at this time of year.

Last Chance to pick apples

2011-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are, at the end of apple picking season. We plan to pick apples today, tomorrow and Sunday. That is, October 28, 29, and 30, 2011.

A special price is being given; if 50 pounds or more of Melrose apples are picked, cost is 50 cents/lb. The orchard has a lot of apples; we plan to pick as much as we can before it freezes on Monday.

Varieties available are Melrose, Jonagold, Mutsu, Braeburn, Northern Spy, Cox's Orange Pippin, and IdaRed.

Fruit Salad---Make Your Own

2011-10-22T12:20:00.001-07:00

Recently, I decided to make a fruit salad for myself and the other members of the Kirk Family. This is a favorite dish that we like to enjoy as a dessert at the end of a long, busy day on the farm.

I use one quart of pears, one quart of peaches, and a can of mandarin oranges. Pineapple or grapes are favored fruits to be added.

Since fruit salad (also known as fruit soup) is so versatile, I decided to try something new in it. Our home-canned pears traditionally have a slice of ginger root in each jar. As the pears age over the winter months, they become infused with a wonderful ginger flavor. This ginger flavor lends a very good taste to the fruit salad.

But, it didn't give this fruit salad enough of the flavor I was looking for! I thought for a minute, and remembered that my Grandma's fruit salad usually had apples in it. I decided to try it.

I wanted a kick to my fruit salad, so I chose one of the most unusual, dynamic and aromatic apples in the orchard: Cox's Orange. They have the taste of cinnamon, black pepper, sweet and tart flavor, with a hint of pear. If you haven't tried this apple, I would say that you definitely should! It is a flavor you won't soon forget!

So, I took two Cox's Orange, cored and diced them, added the apple chunks, gave it a stir, and tasted it. WOW! That was the best I'd had in a while! I'm sure I will try this again, maybe with a different apple variety so I can see what effect a different apple, with it's own unique flavor, might have on a fruit salad.

Braeburn Apples are ripe

2011-10-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Braeburn apples are ripe, along with Melrose, Jonagold, Mutsu, IdaRed, Cox's Orange, and Northern Spy. Looking forward to a great time of picking!

Northern Spy are Ripe!

2011-10-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

Northern Spy are ripe now! They are an American heirloom variety that makes excellent pies. (And, if you like sour apples, they are good for eating.)

For more information on them, please follow this link. http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/northern-spy

Gravenstein Apples: SOLD OUT!

2011-10-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

We are sold out of Gravenstein! Come back next year if you want that particular variety, but if you just want some good apples to cook with or for fresh eating, we still have other varieties available.

Available varieties: Akane, Idared, Jonagold, Cox's Orange, Melrose, and Northern Spy.

Gravenstein apples are still available.

2011-09-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Although it is late in the season, there are about 200 lbs on the trees. They are smaller than last week, but these are the sweetest Gravenstein apples I have ever eaten and will make some great applesauce.

End of season special-----50 cents/lb u-pick.

Apple News from the local paper

2011-09-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.molallapioneer.com/news/2011/September/27/Free.Access/molalla.country.farm.loop.welcomes.fall.harvest/news.aspx

What's Ripe Now?

2011-09-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

We are having a great apple season! The apples are bountiful and taste excellent. We have enjoyed getting to meet all the new customers that have come this year, and seeing our old friends from previous years.

It's not too late to pick Gravenstein or Akane. They are beautiful! Gravenstein is an old traditional variety, introduced in 1797. Akane is a newer variety, introduced in 1937. Akane are delicious for fresh eating. For more information, please see this website, which has an excellent description and short history of the Akane apple. http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/akane
The Ida Red, Jonagold, Cox's Orange, and Melrose are ripening.

We hope to see you soon!

Honeycrisp-UPDATE!

2011-09-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Thankyou for a great Honeycrisp season! As of today, we are SOLD OUT of Honeycrisp!

Apple Prices

2011-09-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

We have kept the same price for u-pick as last year; 70 cents per lb. We pick is 90 cents per lb, unless you buy a box; then it is 85 cents per lb.
We are at the Silverton Farmer's Market every Saturday, selling Honeycrisp apples at $2/lb.
Akane and Gravenstein are sold at $1.49/lb.
This is our first year of Honeycrisp. They are a delightful apple.
The Gravenstein trees have a large crop and are a favorite for apple sauce, pie, and crisp. Akane continue to be a favorite fresh eating apple.

Gravenstein Apples are Ripe!

2011-09-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

Although 3 weeks behind, the Gravenstein and Akane apples are ripe. We will be at the Silverton Farmer's Market tomorrow. I will be with our son Caleb, introducing him to the wonderful market folks. We anticipate a blessed day.

Apple Thinning

2011-07-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Apple thinning is completed and the fruit set is good. Honey Crisp will be available next year. We need to let them grow another year before they are allowed to have a heavy crop.
We are looking forward to picking Akane apples in the 3rd week of August.

Pies

2011-07-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are going to the Oregon City Farmer's Market on Wednesdays. This week we will bring the following pies:

Whole Wheat and Butter Crust:

Apple Raspberry

Rhubarb Custard (very good!)

Lemon Meringue

Sugar Free Apple

Gluten Free, Egg Free, but not dairy free: (Made with butter)

Apple

Rhubarb

Last week I made a dairy free pie using Earth Balance shortening (margarine). It was an acceptable crust. (We like our butter.)

Thinning the apples

2011-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great fruit set, eventhough the blossoms were very late this year. Looking forward to a great harvest. A great fruit set means lots of time out in the orchard thinning the apples, so they can get to an acceptable size. When a tree has 300 tiny apples on it and you have to take off all but 100 of them, it is a tedious job. The sunshine feels good, though. The reward is picking the wonderful fruit in....wow! As early as 8 weeks from now!

What's Available Now

2010-09-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Actually, nothing is available now. We had a few Akane and Gravenstein apples in August and early September. There aren't enough Jonagold to talk about. We have a very limited amount of Melrose; they aren't ready for another 3 or 4 weeks. Unfortunately, I'm not the only farmer with difficulties. I am watching the farms in the area and it looks like poor crops for most farmers. They have no idea how they will harvest the cauliflower due to the very wet fields.
We do hope to have a great harvest of Braeburn apples, the 3rd and 4th weeks of October. They are smaller than they have been other years, but they are plentiful.

Making Apple Pies; 20 of them!

2010-03-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

We have some apples left from last season. What to do with them?
We are making pies to support a Mission Team that is going to Honduras to help a missionary. The pies will be available for donation Sunday, April 4th.
Included is a recipe for one pie and a recipe for a quantity of 10 pies.

Please note: I decreased the sugar in the original recipe from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. This makes it possible for the apple flavor to come through, increasing taste!

Original Apple Pie recipe (Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Quantity: One Pie
½ cup raw sugar

¼ cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp allspice

3 lbs apples; (6-8 apples)

Quantity: 10 pies

5 cups raw sugar

2 ½ cups flour

10 tsp cinnamon

5 tsp nutmeg

2 ½ tsp allspice

30 lbs apples

Directions:

Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated.

Place rolled out pie crust on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

Roll out second disk of dough. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

Use a 3” wide strip of foil to go around the pie; it will keep the edges from becoming too dark.

Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, or until apples are tender.

My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe

3 cups flour

1 cup butter

1 tsp salt

Enough water to hold the dough together; about 6-8 tablespoons

Directions:

Combine flour and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork (a food processor works well) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened.

Thank you for a great season!

2009-11-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great apple season and enjoyed visiting with many of the people that came to our farm. So, a big thank you for helping us get all of the apples picked. We hope you are enjoying your fruit.

Applesauce Time!

2009-10-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of Melrose left with a few on the trees.
It's getting late in the season to do your applesauce, so if you haven't done it, you need to get it done NOW. How does my family make applesauce? We use the food strainer attachment for our Kitchen Aid mixer and our 30 quart pressure cooker (holds 14 quart jars). Once the apples are picked and washed, it's time to start cutting up the apples.
Cut the blossom end of the apple out, then chop the apple in quarters, and throw it in the pot. (There is no need for peeling or coring using this method.) Once your pot is full, dump in two quarts water and secure the lid. Turn on the propane burner. Cook the apples until the gauge hits 10 pounds pressure. Shut off the gas and let the pot sit until the guage is at 0 pounds. Open the cooker and start putting apples through the food strainer. Apple sauce can then be placed into jars or freezer bags.

Update! Some apple varieties are GONE!

2009-10-12T13:30:00.001-07:00

Northern Spy, Spy Jon, and Ida Red are completely SOLD OUT!
Eggs are available almost daily at $3.00 a dozen.
Please visit us at www.marquammeadowsfruit.com
www.pickyourown.org
or www.allaboutapples.com

Apples ready for the picking!

2009-10-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

The following varieties listed are available for U-Pick October 5th through the 31st, available for We-Pick October 5th through November 20th.

Cox's Orange Pippen
Melrose
Northern Spy
Spy Jon
Mutsu
Ida-Red
Jonagold

Coming Soon

Braeburn will be ripe in one week!
Honeycrisp will be available in 2011.