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PostPosted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:01 pm 
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Location: Dallas,TEXAS
Wouldn’t it be nice if Mother Nature provided us her bounty in nice, small daily rations that would last for months. After all, how many fresh pears and apples can one person eat?

Our Gala apple tree did exceptionally well this year and, given the statement above, today was the perfect time to capture the taste and nutrition of this wonderful, healthy fruit.

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While some of the fruit can be cut up and frozen raw, we prefer to make applesauce for a couple of reasons. It will last for years if canned, and we can leave the skins on during the cooking process before canning, to capture the most nutrition from the fruit.

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Within a couple of hours, Natures Bounty, at the peak of nutrition, is preserved for months to come.


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I hear so many reasons why someone can’t grow, harvest and preserve fresh food. I don’t have the time, space, knowledge, money, etc to do that. While all of those reasons may be true, they are still just excuses. Using apples as an example, a dwarf Gala or Molly’s Delicious can be grown in any sunny spot in the yard. A fruit tree cost no more than an ornamental tree and does not require much more care.

The apples shown above were grown organically, requiring only a monthly spraying of Garrett Juice with fish. There were no worms or diseases of any kind. My only loss was due to chickens jumping up and pecking the red ripe fruit. I consider watching them do that more entertainment than loss. A vertically hopping chicken is a sight to see.

Later in the year I was planning on blogging about how we harvest and preserve Pecans but sadly, this is the year Mother Nature decided to let the trees rest.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:28 am 
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Location: Plano & land at Dodd City,TEXAS
Looks soooo good!

Patty

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:38 am 
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Are you selling your sauce?????

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:35 am 
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Hi Tony!

I think it would be funny to videotape your vertically jumping chickens and put it on YouTube! That must be entertaining as all get out!

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The Laws of Ecology:
"All things are interconnected. Everything goes somewhere. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Nature bats last." --Ernest Callenbach


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:02 am 
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Location: Allen,0
Gala are my favorite apples and organic ones are hard to find (I've found them at Tom Thumb). Many times gala apples are shipped from New Zealand. I would LOVE to grow my own, so I have a few questions for you.

Where can I find a good-quality gala apple tree?

How many years before I would get a decent crop? (We may be moving in 5 or so years and I don't know if planting an apple tree now would be worth it.)

Do you need to have more than one tree? I remember as a kid (in Missouri) we had two apple trees in the backyard and dad told me you needed two to get any fruit.

Do gala apple trees not need the chilling required for other kinds? Will they produce well in North Texas?

Thanks--loved your pictures.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:45 am 
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Always check/call you local nurseries first, if they don't have it they can often get it for you. That said, two Texas nurseries I like are Womack in DeLeon and Bob Wells in Lindale.
Most apple trees are not self-fertile and even if they are, the experts recommend multiple plantings.
When you will get apples is variable but 4-6 years is a good average.
Tony M


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