(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Kitchen Table Kibitzing August 31, 2025 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-08-31
Gravs are first to ripen.
Apple
When we moved to Sebastopol in the early 70s, the main crop was apples. By and large the apple type was Gravenstein. They are wonderful for eating, pies, and applesauce. Gravensteins were the largest apple crop in the county in the early 1970s; in 1973, 4,144 acres specifically for Gravensteins. We enjoyed and even participated in the annual Gravenstein Apple Blossom Parade & Festival. As of August 2024, fewer than 600 acres of Gravensteins remained in Sonoma County, the heart of the apple's production. This number is down from a historical peak of nearly 15,000 acres in the 1940s. Nowadays what you see is vineyards, which are far more lucrative than apple orchards.
Our farm had a number of apple trees when we bought it, including one which grew 7 types, via grafting. I planted a Gravenstein inside our fenced garden area, which has produced large crops every year. We made lots of applesauce and also dehydrated a lot, which made great snacks all year. Apple trees require pruning, and our son did a great job last year, such that we have one of our biggest yields ever. We have been sharing them with friends and neighbors.
AI says: There are over 7,500 different varieties of apples grown worldwide, each with unique characteristics for taste, texture, color, and use in cooking or eating raw. While there are thousands of apple cultivars, only a small percentage are commercially significant and widely marketed.
Off season I like Fuji apples which are available most of the year. What are your favorites? How do you mostly use apples? Does one a day keep your doctor away?
Pro tip. If you go into an Apple Store……..there are no apples!
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/31/2341231/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-August-31-2025?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
