the fruit of our labours

We went out earlier this week shopping for fruit trees.  We came home with 1 plum, 1 cherry and 2 apricot trees.  We also bought 2 concord grapes and 2 niagara green. 

Our grapes at the old house had worked themselves half way around the garden.  We had a bumper crop in 2008 and I made so much grape jelly that I thought I would go crazy.  The concord is delicious but the niagara green is exquisite. We have been giving away the concord but we hoard the niagara.   Our vines at the old house were over 15 years old. These new ones are only 2 years old but the girl at the nursery thinks they will produce next year.  There won't be enough to do anything with but we will be happy to get the "vineyard" started again.

We attempted to plant our trees on Wednesday night but the ground was so hard we could hardly dig through the sod.  It has now been raining on and off for about 18 hours so as soon as it clears up a bit we can get out there and dig some holes. 

We have 4 apple trees in the front yard that are getting quite old.  They are producing nicely for now but I don't know how many years they have left in them.  We also have a huge tree between our house and the neighbour that has lots of apples on it.  the problem with that one is that it over 30 feet tall and the lowest branches are higher than my tallest ladder.  We also discovered a crab apple tree in the windbreak beside the back yard.  We didn't know they were there so they didn't get sprayed this year so they don't look edible.  We will be sure to spray next spring.

In the back yard, behind the garden, there are 10 apple trees and 2 pear trees.  We will add our new trees to the orchard.  One of my apple trees in the back had 10 apples on it this year.  I was watching them, waiting for them to ripen when I discovered that 10 was now only 6.  I think the deer also like my apples.  I went and picked the apples before they got them all.  They were delicious.  I'm not sure what kind they were but I think they were McIntosh.  I know we have Northern Spy, McIntosh and Honey Crisp.   Maybe next year they will produce and we will be able to identify which are which. 

We thought Zach would be excited about our apricot trees.  Then each spring he could sing that primary song "Popcorn Popping" and really mean it.  He wasn't impressed.  His response was "Great, more work for me to do on the farm".  It isn't going to be easy turning this city boy into a farmer but we are working on it.  He may not be totally willing but he always does the chores we ask him to do. 


I think Rod is having more fun fixing up this place than he ever imagined he would.