I have fond memories of buying bushels of apples in September to keep in the shed. Then Mom would bring in a bunch at a time and peel and slice and dice and make the whole house smell of apples and cinnamon. She'd make apple sauce and apple butter. Sometimes she'd add little cinnamon hearts to the applesauce and turn it pink. For weeks we'd have apple pies, apple Brown Betty, apple pan dowdy, apple cobbler. Sometimes she'd dry the apple slices too.
I think we liked best when she'd peel the apples with her knife, deftly removing the entire skin in a corkscrew. She'd put these in a bowl and how we loved them! We'd sit at the table and snack away!
Armed with these memories and my desire for more self-sufficiency, I convinced Gramma (property owner) to let me get apple trees! I spent a good long week considering everywhere on the property that I could plant a few, and I started research on types. After a long week of research, I talked it over with Mom, and we both agreed: Cortlands!
Not only are they Mom's favorite cooking apples, they are self-pollinating (very rare in the apple world), and were developed right here in New York State! They are a cross between the ever-popular McIntosh and the less known Ben Davis. They are known for their excellent multipurpose flesh and as fair keepers.
I'm planning on planting two in the spring about a foot inside the property line. The neighbors have some pines along there, but there is a nice gap where two will fit nicely. I asked our lovely neighbor and she said she wouldn't mind at all! I promised her I'd share when they started producing.
Even though there's years until a decent crop will come in, my mouth is already watering.
The photo belongs to Jonathan on Flickr.
Until next time,
