The Many Apple Trees at My Farm
This season's apple trees have been producing tons and tons of fruit.
We won't be picking apples for several more weeks, but here at my Bedford, New York farm, the trees are just brimming with juicy, delicious apples. I have many apple trees here - the large ones were on the property when I bought it, and are believed to be at least 60-years old. I also have espaliered apple trees that I planted soon after I moved to the area. An espalier is a fruit tree or ornamental shrub whose branches are trained to grow on a wall, lattice or framework of stakes.
As you may recall, we had very few apples last year because of a late season frost - but this season is excellent! Enjoy these photos.
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- When I first moved to Bedford, I found a perfect location to plant a little orchard of espalier apple trees.
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- This dwarf apple orchard is just behind my long carport and flower room. Father Legendre of Hannonsville, France is credited with pioneering the espalier growing method in 1684. Because sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning continues to be a standard procedure at commercial orchards in France.
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- The trees have been trained to grow on wire, which is strung between heavy stone posts. These beautiful posts were originally grape stakes from defunct vineyards in China.
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- Across the carriage road are my Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees. I love this crisp and juicy apple, an antique variety, which is wonderful to eat and great for cooking and baking.
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- I bought these trees in 2010, and I am happy they’ve done so well in this location. There are so many red, juicy fruits.
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- The apple tree is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple. I have many different varieties growing at my farm – some of them I use for eating, like these scrumptious Gravensteins. Others are better suited for baking and for making applesauce and cider.
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- During a good apple season, I make lots of cider here at the farm. For cider, the apples need not be flawless, but they should be free of spoilage, which would cause the juice to ferment too rapidly.
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- This apple tree is located outside my blog studio. It is a very old apple tree and original to the farm.
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- Here is a closeup of a crutch supporting a heavy branch of this apple tree. The natural “V” shaped notch in the trunk is perfect for this purpose.
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- Next to the old corn crib, which is also original to the farm, is this old apple tree.
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- Look how large its trunk is. Some apple trees will grow more than 40-feet high and live more than 100-years.
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- This apple tree is right outside my Winter House, near my expansive porch.
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- This one is also in front of my Winter House – I still can’t believe how many fruits are on all these trees.
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- Another collection of old apple trees sits behind my herbaceous peony bed – also in view from my house.
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- Apples come in all shades of red, green, and yellow. A medium-sized apple has about 80-calories. Apples are excellent sources of fiber – one medium apple contains five grams of fiber, including the soluble fiber, pectin.
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- And, do you know… apples are the second most widely consumed fruit in the United States? The average American eats about 16-pounds of apples a year.
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- This apple tree is down by my tennis court – it has also been very productive. If you look closely, it has hundreds and hundreds of bright green fruits on it.
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- Just look at all the many apples it has produced – the outdoor grounds crew loves the apples from this tree.
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- All my trees are carefully pruned each winter when they are dormant. This practice maintains their shape and removes damaged branches, keeping these very old specimens healthy.
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- I am so proud that the older trees produce such fragrant and tasty apples.
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- This stand of apple trees is near what I call my Contemporary House, which is currently used for storage. This is one of the larger groupings of apple trees here at the farm – all of them bearing tons of fruit.
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- Always choose fresh, bright, firm textured apples with a pleasant flavor. Avoid fruits with pressure marks over their surface as they indicate underlying mottled pulp.
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- And don’t peel your apples! Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.
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- In a field next to my new swimming pool, I planted a new orchard of fruit trees – lots and lots of fruit trees. This young tree bears ‘Fuji’ apples. Fuji apples originated as a cross between two American apple varieties—the Red Delicious and old Virginia Ralls Genet, sometimes seen as “Rawls Jennet” apples. It is one of the top most popular varieties in the country.
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- And this young tree is a Cortland apple tree. These trees are still quite young, but you can already see fruits growing on the branches. This tree bears gorgeous ruby red apples with a snowy center that won’t brown in salads.
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- I can’t wait until this fruit tree orchard is mature and full of apples, pears, plums, cherries, apricots, and so many more.
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- And here are the ancient apple trees in my south paddock – one of the most popular views of my farm. Wherever the apples grow, they are sure to be delicious and so healthy. I am looking forward to apple picking time – aren’t you?
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