Applepickin'

Brother James and I picked apples in our parents' back yard after we both got out of work this evening. This is the first time any apples have really been picked; most of the time there aren't any apples, but where there are the apples are pretty nasty (non-edible). This year Mom did some pruning which dramatically increased fruit production. Please note the following:


Mom was worried about me using the ladder to pick apples despite the fact that I spent about two months picking olives using ladders in Italy, and I've been working with ladders all summer doing barn repair; however, I can understand her thought that just because I do "unsafe" activities more often does not make them any more safe.

Anyway, we were only able to access a couple apples by climbing the ladder, we found the ladder much more useful when we extended it all the way and jabbed the branches with it causing the apples to fall into James's waiting hands.


These are golden delicious apples.
Point of interest: these golden delicious apples are neither golden nor delicious.
Point of interest: most golden apples are not delicious (even if golden).

In my book, golden delicious apples tie with red delicious apples for last place. Someone once described them as potatoes with red (or golden) skin. They're mealy and lacking in flavor. That being said, the apples from our parents' golden delicious tree are not in high demand. Our mother may axe the tree after this year to promote healthier growing in the peach tree and the other good apple tree (which may be Courtland or Macintosh, but she doesn't remember).


This is were the bad apples go to die.
(bad apples go to the fire pit)

This is the final haul of good apples. I think I will make a couple pies out of them. Apple crumb pies to be exact.