Half the apple harvest and bonus bamboo, 2024

Laxton Fortune apple tree, August 2024

It's a very short window for my Laxton Fortune apple tree, which I believe is considered a dual purpose fruit--both a cooker and an eater (aka culinary and dessert apple).  The son tried one about two weeks ago, still somewhat flavorless;  then last week we tried another with enough potential for me to pick a couple of baskets and make some apple preserves;  then a few days later we yet again tasted and I made the executive decision:  it's time! 

We were warned a branch might break (one small one did), August 2024

I picked half of them one day, then after a very windy morning, the son picked the rest.  If left on the tree, they will continue to ripen and become a little too sweet and somewhat mushy.  We got them at the perfect time:  not too sweet, nice and crisp with a tender skin. 

I didn't thin any apples this year, though there was some natural fruit drop in June;  to be honest, I was expecting the fruit to be smaller.  Some of it is a bit too small, but most of it is around "lunchbox size" or bigger.  I've made applesauce and one bottle of apple halves with the first round but the rest are still hanging out in my kitchen in cardboard boxes;  the daughter is faithfully plowing through several a day, and the son and I are doing our best too.  I don't actually know how long these apples will store;  since they are an early variety, I suspect not that long.  My other tree, Sparta, should be ready in September and those apples store at least a month (we generally eat them all by that time so I'm not sure how much longer they'd last either).

I haven't weighed or counted my apple harvest either!  I am good about vegetables, but my rule is to weigh them after preparation, i.e. trimming/peeling/etc.  This throws me off with fruit sometimes, so I don't often weigh it.  Maybe I need to set a different rule for fruit, to help me count it in my totals.

For beans at the allotment, August 2024

My bamboo in the perennials section (the duck yard) has really taken over its space so I got the son to cut it back by 75% this summer and many of the canes, while narrow, are still acceptable for garden stakes.  I've taken quite a few bundles up to the allotment for my beans and cucumbers, and have portioned them out a bit among the garden cucumbers too.  But I still have so many, some of them may end up as kindling.