Alaska Apples

It's difficult to grow 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. The trick to turning crab apples into pies is to have a tool used to punch corks in labs. This cylindrical cutter is perfect for punching out the cores of crab apples. Also, perfect for preparing pickled crab apples.

The Siberian crab apple is an extremely hardy tree, even in Alaska. One variety that's fairly common has clusters of tiny apples, each about the size of a large blueberry. These are otally inedible for humans - very astringent. Siberian crab apples attract wildlife and birds such as large flocks of Waxwings which are a delight to watch (more about South central Alaska's natural surroundings is at solsticelight.com).