When I was growing up, my Dad loved his fruit trees. Unfortunately, the trees never produced as much fruit or as healthy of fruit as he had hoped for. It certainly didn't stop him from finding sources and bringing home loads of fresh fruits for us to enjoy. Probably one of the main reasons I have to go to the apple orchards in the fall. ;) He often told the story of how my Grandma sent my Dad and his siblings to pick apples at a neighbor's house. Even though the neighbor wasn't going to use the apples himself, my Grandma insisted on sending over fifty cents for the right to harvest the apples. That was a long time ago... I grew up to live in a very small rural town and work in the middle of the town I live in. There are so many kind people with farms who extend the kindness of harvesting apples off their trees. I guess those ideals are still alive and well in certain areas of America. And hey, those apples make the best pies, cobbler, and sauce! :)
My son and his wife purchased a small farm with two elderly apple trees. In a good year, the number of apples can be overwhelming. The fruit trees are definitely happy. So, my son decided to plant some more trees... a pear, another apple, and a plum tree. The pear is doing amazing, is doubling its production from last year, and the fruit should be ready to pick soon. The apple hasn't produced yet but is steadily growing. The plum tree decided this year was the year to have a crazy harvest. It is a tiny tree barely taller than me, but it produced a 5-gallon pail and a half of produce. If I could bottle the smell of those plums, the fragrance would knock your socks off! Just splendidly plummy!!
It warms my heart for the kids to be expanding their farm in a self-sustaining way. Since both of them were busy this year, I offered to help preserve the fruit. Not gonna lie... It was a bigger production than I thought, but all went smoothly.
The first weigh in was for the jam... This kid doesn't mess with jelly. lol The grand total was 24 of the fruit jars and 10 pint jars. If you haven't had plum jam, you are really missing out on a unique flavor. It does sound like a lot until you start thinking of all the possibilities... My daughter in law makes homemade ice cream. Can you imagine a vanilla plum swirl? I sure can!
With the plums done for the year, the apples have started to fall from one of the older trees. Although some will become animal feed, there were plenty for me to harvest. Most were bigger than my hand and in great shape. :) Not sure if they will become pies or sauce yet. Which reminds me, I need to go back out tomorrow to scour for some more. Most of the tree hasn't ripened yet. I suspect these are falling from the very top. And I'm hoping to get ahead of the huge harvest and not get taken off guard like with the plums. lol What a blessing these trees are. My Dad is watching their success... I am sure. Now the kids have added grapes and blueberries to their fruit grove. Wonderful times to come. :)
