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Household and Garden Tips
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Growing Apples in Alaska In southcentral Alaska, near Anchorage, summer apples can be raised although they rarely reach the size found in more southern locales. Summer Red and Chinese Golden become small apples ready to harvest in early to mid-September. The real superstars, however, are the crab apples. Rescue is a particular favorite, ripening to bright red blush by early September. Energetic cooks and gardeners harvest these exceptional treats and process them as applesauce, apple jelly, apple juice, and even pies. (Continued at Alaska Apples) |
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What about growing Pears in Alaska? Pears do not generally grow in Alaska, although the Siberian Pear, Pyrus Usuriensis, can be successfully raised as an ornamental. (Continued at Pears in Alaska) |
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Grandpa's Applesauce I remember Grandpa would cook applesauce. He'd start with a bowl of washed apples which he expertly peeled. I think his favorite were the green summer apple, Gravenstein. Grandpa's applesauce had character. It was always chunky and we ate it on pancakes, with pork chops, as snacks... The best thing of all was Grandpa standing by the stove, stirring the applesauce, and the warm steamy aroma of apples cooking. ...KE (Continued at Grandpa's Applesauce) |
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More Uses for Applesauce In Alaska, it's tough to have highly productive backyard apple trees. Instead of tree fruit, Alaskans turn to berries, either growing their own berries or harvesting wild berries. Many of the berries that do grow successfully in the extreme Alaska climate are strongly flavored, such as the black currant. However, add some applesauce to a batch of black currants destined for fruit leather and you have a delicious, nutritious snack for lunches or anytime. (Continued at More Uses for Applesauce) |
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Valley Storm In February, a huge storm blew through in the night, from the south, an unusual direction. I could hear the wind battering the house and the black walnut tree's branches rubbing the roof. In the morning, I walked out on the balcony and saw the slightest bit of new snow and robins. Every where I looked -- the corkscrew willow by the house and the apple trees across the driveway were filled with robins.(Continued at Valley Storm) |
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Dreaming of Summer - Apple Pie & Ice Cream A warm summer afternoon. Check it out. The kids are running through the sprinkler. It's too hot for bugs. And you decide you need homemade ice cream to go with that steamy apple pie. Try this easy, no-egg, no-cook recipe. (Continued at Apple Pie & Ice Cream) |
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Predicting Bloom Time Bloom times change from year to year. In the Kittitas Valley, pear trees always bloom earlier than apple trees. Sometimes pollinator limbs burst into bloom before the parent tree buds have opened. Unless a fruit tree is self-pollinating, you really want to be sure that the pollinating varieties bloom simultaneously with the producing tree to get the best possible crop. (Continued at Predicting Bloom Time) |
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Cherry Orchard in Bloom A cherry orchard in full bloom is the subject of this postcard from the 1940's. This linen card, softly colored in pinks and white captures the springtime beauty of fruit trees. Rows and rows of cherry trees seemingly stretch as far as the eye can see, converging in the far distance at what we can only assume is the cluster of homestead trees and houses where the families live that work this well kept orchard. (Continued at Cherry Orchard in Bloom) |
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Best Sites for Orchards Choosing the best sites for planting orchards is not a haphazard affair. So many things must be considered: growing season, climate, terrain, soil types, water resources, tree varieties, labor availability, markets, costs. Since the time of the western migration, ambitious folks have investigated and experimented with what it takes for a successful orchard development. (Continued at Best Sites for Orchards) |
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Principles of Fruit Growing In The Principles of Fruit-Growing which was published by the Macmillan Company, as part of The Rural Science Series in the late 19th Century, author L.H. Bailey outlines the essentials of orchard location and climate. As you can imagine, much about the art and science of fruit growing has changed in the past one hundred years. (Continued at Principles of Fruit-Growing) |
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Alaska Apples | Pears in Alaska | Grandpa's Applesauce | More Uses for Applesauce | Valley Storm | Apple Pie & Ice Cream | Predicting Bloom Time | Cherry Orchard in Bloom | Best Sites for Orchards | Principles of Fruit-Growing Four
Seasons Orchard Links: |
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