Apple Time :)

Grow several varieties of apples from Golden Delicious to Wolf Rivers. But the mainstay of the apples we use here on the farm are Good Ole Cortland Apples. I planted all of these back in 2008 when we relocated the farm back to Southern IL. 30 cortland, 10 Golden delicious, 4 Granny Smith, 5 Wolf River and a couple of other old heirloom oddballs.


It took from 2008-2014 for them to start making any significant amount of apples. Might be lucky to get a whole peck from all of the trees the first years.



Then in 2014 the production jumped way up on the Cortland and in 2015 it exploded and has been nothing but heavier and heavier yields ever since. The trees are all 10-12 feet tall now (All Standard so they will top out in the 20-25 foot range when mature.) What is on the table is just what I could reach on one tree We use a lot of apples for Cider, Hard Cider, Wine, Apple Sauce and pie filling. But I went a bit over board with the Cortlands LOL. So I half peck up a bunch and take them to the farmers market to sell over about 4 weeks time. I have yet to bring any back to the farm from market and usually sell 80-100 half pecks every week at $4 per.

The Smalls, deformed and wormy get stock piled and fed out to the hogs from now through October and makes for some real good fall finished pork.



LOL I sure did not choose the easiest life or way of scratching out a living but no regrets and I can complain much about being just about as free as a person can be in America these days. Something to be said for living in a world of Natural Consequences, No Safety Net and Making or going bust by yer own choices and discipline. Guess I am decent at it since I have made a good living at the small farm gig fer 22 years now. Would love to be 100% food independent but growing Coffee, Wheat, and Sugar and producing yeast just ain't practical


Spent some time earlier this week injecting and smoking some prime ribs between picking apples, tomatoes and everything else. Had 22 whole ribeyes that just screamed to me "TURN US INTO PRIME RIB!!!!" So I did Then partially froze them and cut them into 1 pound steaks. And some of them will be the Blue Plate Special on the Chuck Wagon this Sunday



Always a toss up between making prime rib or just burning ribeye steaks Pretty much a toss up for the customers at the market as well. Four years into the Chuck Wagon and folks still try to get their mind around a Food Trailer that serves Top Shelf steaks and pork that rivals any restaurant and spanks just about everyone on price ANd to boot has Customer Seating and Wait Staff.



Yep the simple life is anything but simple and certainly not easy but it sure is a good life

 

So true Bro, but I wouldn't trade it for the fast paced 100 hr week make all the money you can life I led for so many years.
I'm always behind on something but it'll get done-contrary to Sass's opinion..

 

LOL Friend had a peach orchard for 50 years and retired out of it and gave me all of his peach boxes he had left when he retired. Pretty sturdy little boxes that are good for a lot things. I only have 5 peach trees though so rarely do peaches ever make it into the Fancy Tree Ripened Peaches Boxes. Only 4 pallets of peach boxes left to use

 

So true. I take a bit of pride in what I grow. It always tastes better for one. It is a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun too. The old folks will sometimes stop by and say what a fine garden we have and I'll bag up whatever is ready and send them on their way. It's a good life.

 

@Thunder5Ranch I start drooling everytime I open one of your threads!

 

My kids learned early on to never say "I am bored, there is nothing to do!"

Always amazes me that I don't weigh 500 pounds

 

you need to make bark sauce for dog repellent

Bark Sauce for Trees

 

LOL there is a reason there are no more goats here. We had just finished planting 500 peach trees and had this great idea of picking up where my friend Ed left off when he retired. He figured the trees we planted would be coming into full production about the time his last trees were petering out. So we called it a day after the last one was in the ground and he went home. But he showed up bright and early the next morning because he forgot his flask on the wagon. He stopped by the cabin and we were having a cup of coffee and Ed is looking real uncomfortable. After a while he says "Mike I hate to tell you this but all of your goats got out of the pasture." I said "No big deal some of them get out all the time." He looks even more uncomfortable "Yeah but do all of them get out and eat the peach trees we just finished planting down to little stumps?" So we spend the day loading 300 goats onto two trailers and drove them all to the auction barn and dumped them off and a week later I got a real nice check in the mail for the goats. Never did replant all those peach trees but still cringe and fight back the anger when MRs T5R says "What do you think about getting a few goats?" LOL yer Great Dane reminded me of get rid of the goats day