| Apples |
The apples that survived the frost are growing well and getting bigger every week. Assuming all goes well (i.e., we remain a no-hail zone), we should have apples 1-2 weeks earlier than average -- mid-August rather than late August. And this year we'll be selling apples from our on-farm store; check the link for open days & hours. Times for and directions to the markets where we sell apples can be found at the websites below: www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com www.midtownfarmersmarket.org www.minnesotagrown.com When the apples are ready, we'll note the specific markets we'll be at each week. |
| Apple Varieties in the Straight River Farm Orchard: Zestar! -- an early variety -- ripening about August 20 -- with a sweet-tart flavor and crisp texture that most early apples can't match. Sweet with a bit of brown sugar flavor -- you're going to love this apple, maybe more than Honeycrisp! Ginger Gold -- a crispy, early golden -- ripening about August 20 with the Zestar! -- with a special sweet & spicy flavor that makes it great for baking or drying, and a treat for fresh eating. Chestnut Crab -- a large, sweet crab apple with great crunch & a nutty flavor -- ripening mid-late August -- perfectly sized for the lunch box or a quick snack. Also good for sauce. Sweet Sixteen -- a mid-season apple ripening about September 15. Rosy red striped skin covers a sweet, crispy apple with cherry undertones. An all-round apple for fresh eating and cooking, we added it to the orchard by popular demand. Cortland -- ripens about September 15. Sweet with a hint of tartness & very white flesh, this is the greatest salad apple. Also very good for sauce, baking, pie & fresh eating. Honeycrisp -- a new mid-season favorite ripening September 15-20. This apple set a new standard for fresh eating apples. Honeycrisp is sweet, juicy, and amazingly crisp. Try a locally grown Honeycrisp & be amazed at the difference 2000 miles can make. Haralson -- a Minnesota favorite that ripens in late September. Haralson are crisp, juicy, and tart. This is the ultimate pie, crisp, or sauce apple for our family & the preferred fresh eating apple for our daughter, who insists everything else is just too sweet. Haralson freezes very well and is great fresh eating for those who like a lively apple. Honeygold -- a late golden apple, ripening September 20-25. Sweet & juicy for fresh eating, also good for baking, and excellent dried for a sweet, healthy snack. Regent -- a Minnesota developed long-time favorite -- ripening about October 1 -- sweet with just a hint of tartness and crisp, for fresh eating, baking, sauce & drying. Excellent keeper in the home refrigerator. Keepsake -- ripening in mid-October, Keepsake has a sweet, spicy flavor, is a very firm apple, great for fresh eating & cooking, and will keep for months in a refrigerator. Keepsake were added to the orchard just a couple of years ago, along with the Sweet Sixteen. |
| Apples by the numbers: Each apple variety varies in weight, so all weights are approximate. 3 medium apples = 1 lb. 1 pound peeled & sliced apples = 2 3/4 cups. 1/4 peck of apples = 2.5-3 lb. medium apples. 1/2 peck of apples = 5-6 lb. 1 peck of apples = 10-12 lb. 1/2 bushel of apples = 20-24 lb. 1 bushel of apples = 40-48 lb. 1/2 peck of apples (5-6 lb.) makes 5 pints of applesauce. 1/2 bushel of apples makes 8-10 quarts of applesauce. 1 bushel of apples makes 15-20 quarts of applesauce. 5-7 medium apples makes 1 9-inch pie. 1/2 peck apples yields about 8 cups jelly. |
| Updated July 10, 2010 |
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