| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 15 2014 : 12:10:48 PM
Does anyone besides me love Apples? The past few years, I have been reading about apple varieties and trying new recipes with apples. This blog post is for us to share what we love about apples and also some of your favorite ways to eat them. If you own apple trees, please tell us about what you grow and how you use them.
So, to start things off, I found this darling children's song book from 1950 and one of the first songs is this one on Apple Picking!
Here is me a few years ago at Mercier's Apple Orchard in north Georgia picking apples. I love to pick apples and fill up a basket! 
Here are some apple facts I learned from a recent book I read The Best Apples to Buy and Grow.
1. In 1905, the US Dept.of Agriculture published a report by W.H. Ragan, who listed 17,000 different apple names for about 14,000 distinct varieties!
2. Apple cultivation began here in North America with the settlement in Jamestown in 1607. Settlers had brought seeds and cuttings from the best European stock to plant in their new land.
3. In the mid 1780s-- Thomas Jefferson boasted in a letter from Paris to James Madison that France had no apples to compare with the NewTown Pippin in Virginia.
4. John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, propagated apple trees from seeds from western Pennsylvania across Ohio and Indiana. These trees gave rise to apples ,such as "Winter Banana", that were unique to the growing condition of North America as early as 1836.
5. Queen Victoria in England was gifted with two barrels of Virginia's Newtown Pippins in 1838 and was so impressed that she lifted the English tax on imported apples.
6. The golden age of apple raising quickly ended in the 20th century when rail shipping was so inexpensive that orchards could distribute apples easily and all year around. Home orchards disappeared and smaller orchards in the east went out of business. By the 1920s, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious became mass produced and took over the markets.
7. Apple production today in the US produces about 48,000 tons of apples from apple growers in 36 states. Now that is some apple growing!!
8. Many growers are working to bring back heirloom apple varieties. If you live in a state where apples are grown, there may be opportunities to taste and pick some of these lost types.
There are so many delicious ways to use apples, but one of my favorite is to just bake them in an apple baker. All you do is core an apple, fill with a mix of brown sugar, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon, put a pat of butter on top and a few tablespoons of water in the dish and bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until nice and tender. They are so easy to make and taste great hot or cold the next day!
What can you share about apples? Do you have a favorite variety that you get every year which is not in the regular grocery stores?
Does anyone make their own apple cider?
Please share any and all apple stories here!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| nndairy |
Posted - Sep 07 2014 : 1:32:42 PM
There are a lot of Amish in the area, but I think it's the park that owns it now. There were no Amish running it when I was there. It's at a park on the edge of town and there's a museum too about the towns heritage - a lot of Amish and Mennonite history as well as business in the town and a few noteworthy people to the community. It was the Heritage days festival when I was there so I'm not sure what happens with the press the rest of the year.
Heather
Farmgirl Sister #4701
http://nndairy.blogspot.com/
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| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Sep 06 2014 : 12:13:41 PM
Wow, Heather, that is very cool!! I would love to see it in action and taste some of the apple cider!! Is it an Amish community that owns it and uses it or do they just come to help?
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| nndairy |
Posted - Sep 06 2014 : 11:32:05 AM
Winnie - I've been to see that press in person!!! Twice actually. It's truly amazing. And HUGE!!!!
Heather
Farmgirl Sister #4701
http://nndairy.blogspot.com/
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| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Sep 04 2014 : 09:51:15 AM
Hi everyone. A friend sent me this video link of an apple press still in use in Indiana. It comes from the late 1800s and is fascinating to watch it work. I also love the Amish community who are assisting with the big Apple Cider making process. I hope you enjoy!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GIsKYXS2bgQ
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| katmom |
Posted - Aug 30 2014 : 08:13:00 AM
Connie, I luv the sweet graphic... just can't help but to smile when I look at it! :>)
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| lorizspr |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 9:19:25 PM
No apples for us this year! Our small orchard never blossomed, nor did any of our ancient trees surrounding the property. Last year I had more apples than I could handle! I made tons of applesauce, apple butter, tried apple jelly but no luck, apple pie filling, and froze bags of apple slices. Thankfully I still have stuff left yet, but I miss the smell of all those wonderful appples!
Lori |
| wildflower17 |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 6:09:41 PM
Girls...I love the sweet memories we have from days of old...I miss those days so much...my sister is 9 years older than me and a go getter...she knows what it's like to work on the farm and in the fields...we love to reminisce about old days...and the old ways...loved our grandmother and mom and dad...to the moon and back...Ms. Connie...love the picture:):):)and Ms. Winnie I will try to find out the words to the poem!!!
Hugs!
Judy
"Autumn~The year's last, loveliest smile."
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened...
"Country Girl at Heart...Blessed Beyond Measure"!!!
Farm Girl #5440
Farm Girl of The Month September 2013 |
| Killarney |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 1:02:17 PM
Winnie, I remember that from Grammar school, we even planted an Apple tree in our school yard in 1964!
Judy, That is such a great memory for you and your sister!
Hugs! Connie
Imagine....#3392
Farmgirl of the Month, August 2014 |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 11:15:05 AM
Yes, Judy, you have to let us know that Johnny Appleseed poem that you sister learned back in the 1950s! Thanks for sharing!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| wildflower17 |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 10:52:25 AM
Winnie!!!I can't believe this...my sister who was in elementary school in the 1950's had to learn a poem about Johnny Appleseed...she can still say it today...the only part I know is this..."Of Jonathan Chapman two things are known...that he loved apples and he walked alone"...I am going to have to get her to tell me this again...what sweet memories I have of this and the apple orchard we had growing up in here Kentucky!!!
Hugs!
Judy
"Autumn~The year's last, loveliest smile."
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened...
"Country Girl at Heart...Blessed Beyond Measure"!!!
Farm Girl #5440
Farm Girl of The Month September 2013 |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 10:29:13 AM
Wow, Laurie, what fun that your granddaughter's apple seeds are sprouting! You must let us know when you plant them and how they fare over the winter. It is fun to know that you too knew about Johnny Appleseed and had heard the same prayer!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| laurzgot |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 09:00:14 AM
Winnie, I grew up learning all about Jonny Appleseed. Oh that prayer brings back memories. Thanks for sharing. The little apple seeds my granddaughter planted are sprouting up. Hope they turn into trees.
Laurie
"Smile and be yourself everyday"
Country girl at heart
Laurie
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| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 28 2014 : 07:00:47 AM
How many of you have heard of the legendary Johnny Appleseed? I grew up with that story and a few years ago, I found this book online. Author, Ophia D. Smith, did a scholarly search on the topic and compiled her information in this lovely little book.
Johnny Apple seed was actually John Chapman, born 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. John's father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. His mother died when he was two and John was partly raised by relatives. By age 18, John Chapman was aware of the westward immigration trend and anxious to embark on a vision of his own. By the 1790s, John was a practicing nurseryman and a missionary of the Swedenborg faith. He referred to himself as a Bible Missionary not eh Potomac River. In addition to spreading his faith to those who were interested, he planted apple seeds all up and down the fertile valley of the Muskingum River in Liking county , Ohio. By 1809, his apple trees were ready for market. John Chapman followed fertile river valleys as far west as Richmond, Indiana. With apple seeds in his boat, he floated down the rivers from the East coast west to the lower limits of Kentucky/Ohio border and northward to the banks of Lake Erie. His peaceful manner allowed him to make friends with some of the Native Americans at times.
John Chapman's life has been surrounded by stories of him as a local folk hero. He dressed in a buttonless shirt, short tattered trousers, a tow-linen coffee sack for a coat and a tin pot for a hat. He went barefoot in the summer and wore some sort of moccasins in the winter. The pot was used for cooking his meals. His diet consisted of nuts and fruits in season and mush which he cooked in his tin pot. He refused to eat meat on principal of sanctity of life. He lived in complete harmony with nature as he spent his life creating apple nurseries along fertile river banks. Even as he aged and grew frail, he would walk along side of his horse pulling his cart of seeds but never ride on the horse. He was known for taking on mistreated horses and would care for them until he found them proper homes where they would be treated kindly. He died in 1842 of pneumonia at the home of a friend and buried two miles north of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Such an interesting man in colonial America and responsible for spreading apple trees as far west and north as Detroit area. Imagine dedicating your entire life to the tending and growing of apple trees!
Growing up, I remember our Girl Scout prayer which was used to be respectful of girls from all faiths. The prayer was sung in a very simple tune together.
"The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need,
The sun, the rain, and the appleseed.
The Lord is good to me."
Do you have any tidbits to share about Johnny Appleseed? Did you know this prayer?
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 22 2014 : 4:57:35 PM
MIchele, I understand that Wisconsin is a good place to grow some other winter hardy apples. The Honey Crisp make it down here in the stores later this fall and they are wonderful. Crisp and juicy! The other varieties you mentioned are unknown to me but I bet they are delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| windypines |
Posted - Aug 22 2014 : 4:10:40 PM
Sorry have not been back here to comment! We have sweet sixteen, cortland, fireside, honey crisp, and darn I can't remember the other two. But going with all different kinds. My current favorite is fireside. They are so good!
just a girl farming in WI
Michele |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 22 2014 : 05:54:32 AM
Grace, you will have to let us know if these sprouting seeds make it into viable tree seedlings that you plant. How fun would that be to have your own orchard raised from seeds of Pink Lady variety!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| katmom |
Posted - Aug 21 2014 : 6:12:25 PM
I have, accidently, gotten apple seeds to sprout,,,, I left the seedlings back in Washington with the people who bought our home... I am to afraid to ask if the seedlings are doing well...
That being said, I now have 5 "pink lady' seeds in a yougart cup, sprouting... who knows... but I am keeping my fingers & eyes crossed for success!
Great topic!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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| laurzgot |
Posted - Aug 21 2014 : 1:44:44 PM
Winnie, Love that song book. At our old house we had planted a few apple trees (Red Delicious). In the spring they would have beautiful blooms. I would make apple butter, and apple sauce. We would also eat them. Fresh apples are the best. My granddaughter this summer wanted me to save the apple seeds from some apples, so she could plant them and hopefully have a tree or two at my other house that we have been in for many years. Love apples.
Laurie
"Smile and be yourself everyday"
Country girl at heart
Laurie
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| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 21 2014 : 06:01:44 AM
Suzie, I have never heard of any of those apple varieties and I sure wish I could taste them to see how they differ. That is the thing about apples, once you dig a little deeper. There are lots of varieties that have been growing locally for generations and the rest of us never have had the fun of tasting them or cooking them up into a recipe. Apples on the farm were considered part of the staple food crop until the beginning of the 20th Century when agriculture became more mechanized. People locally grafted trees with other local trees and came up with new varieties that never left that area. Apples help to tell the story of family farms and part of why we think of apple pie as the all american classic. Everyone grew apples and used them for eating all year long. In my opinion, apple pie for breakfast with a slice of cheddar cheese on top and a cup of coffee is about as good as it gets! And don't even get me started on homemade apple cinnamon donuts!!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| delsgirl |
Posted - Aug 20 2014 : 7:50:33 PM
What a GREAT topic!! My dad loved his apple trees and had many, mostly NW varieties, Buckley Giant (local favorite), McGouan, Transparents, and a few more I can't remember. My brother and I both got our love of our apple trees from him! Teri, I soooo appreciate you posting the recipe for the Apple Bread, I misplaced my copy several years ago, and alas, my best apples for that bread are done for the year, but am going to try what I have coming on next! Again, thanks for posting it!! |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 20 2014 : 06:10:49 AM
Oops.. I see a typo error in the first sentence. Not Fiji but Fuji! I stand corrected!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 20 2014 : 06:08:35 AM
History fact about apples for today. How many of you love the popular Fiji apple? I know I enjoy eating this variety a lot. It seems that the origins of this apple started in Virginia with Thomas Jefferson obtaining some apple cuttings given to him by Edmund Charles Genet, the French Minister to the US from 1793-1794. Jefferson sent these these cuttings on to Virginia nurseryman, Caleb Ralls, who then grafted them and spread them throughout Virginia and into western territories. The "Ralls Genet" variety became a favorite in the Ohio Valley because it tolerated late Spring frost. The enthusiasm for this variety died out until 1939 when a Japanese breeder crossed the Ralls Genet with the Red Delicious and created the Fuji that we all love still today. Today, the Fuji lists as the Third most popular variety of eating apple in the US overtaking Granny Smith, which is now #4 in popularity.
Peter Hatch, who is the director of Jefferson's Monticello home, says this. "We like to say that Thomas Jefferson was not only the author of the Declaration of Independence and the father of the University of Virginia, but probably the grandfather of the "Fuji"."
How cool is this bit of history?? Being born and raised in Charlottesville, Va., which is the home of the University of Virginia and viewable from the Monticello South Pavilion area, maybe I was born with apple fascination in my blood. After all, Amherst County is right beside Albemarle County where Mr. Ralls was busy at work creating a future high performing apple. Apple is just in the soil, so to speak. hehehe, it was inevitable that this girl ended up with apples on the brain!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - Aug 18 2014 : 5:57:28 PM
Erin, good for you for starting your first little orchard of apple trees! It will be fun to see them grow up and become a part of your life while you add more to get a small orchard going. Apples have beautiful Spring flowers, all full of bees, and then the apples growing all season while you dream up apple pies and apple butter recipes to try. For sure when your apple produce, you will get first hand at picking them. Sounds exciting and thanks for sharing!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| notathreatinsight |
Posted - Aug 18 2014 : 1:45:23 PM
That song sheet is so cute Winnie! We just planted 2 apple trees this year. A granny smith, and a pixie crunch. My husband grows everything and I process it. I am no good with plants, and it makes me so sad :( but he let me pick the pixie crunch tree because I love pixies so much. They won't produce for probably another couple years at least but we're planning to add a couple each year until we have a decent amount. I love to make apple butter, but I have never picked them myself. We usually just find someone selling them at a local orchard. I'd love to pick them one year though!
Erin
Farmgirl #3762
May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave. - Kate
Forsyth
http://www.etsy.com/shop/femmepostale/
http://www.pinterest.com/femmepostale/ |
| auntjenny |
Posted - Aug 18 2014 : 12:59:48 PM
Oh how I love apples! We have one small apple tree here, a gala. But...ee live not too far from a wonderful place, See Canyon, where there are many apple farms. Wont be long now until apple eason here!
Inside me there is a skinny girl crying to get out, but I can usually shut her up with cookies. |
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