When the Apples are Ripe.....

Though it is always a little pitiful and disheartening to see another summer come to an end, one big bonus about this change in seasons is that the apples are coming on strong, and some are ready for the picking. Suddenly I am confronted with a dilemma; "What do I do with all of these darn apples?!" Luckily, I have friends..........bags and bags of the year's crop go this way and that. Yes, and as mentioned earlier, always an apple pie around. Someday, I hope to be sitting at the farmer's market with organic apples and just having some fun. The whole cycle is awesome......first pruning the trees each winter and then getting the fertilizer thing to happen. Next, setting up the water system in April and watching for the bees to pollinate and set the apples. The heat of the summer days and the warm evenings allow the fruit to develop and get to the stage you see in the attached picture. It's all a miracle!