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!

Wow! What a Day!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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.

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

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

What's Ripe Now?

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!

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