Trying to Find the Right One

Last fall my son went on a field trip to a local apple orchard. He was enthralled by the idea of growing your own food and came home requesting we get some apple trees. I have been wanting to start a garden for years, so the thought of getting our own little orchard going sounds fantastic!  It's time! I started researching which trees do best in our region, when to plant, how to get them, and how to care for them.

I admit, I was pretty bummed to find we are unable to purchase pink lady apple trees. Those are my absolute favorite; most diverse apple ever! You can eat them fresh, can them, make them into applesauce or apple pie filling, and their color and aroma are amazing.  I wish I knew why we can't purchase them. When I read about them, it seems they'd do well in our arid region. Oh well, so down the list I go. 

I discovered Jonathan apples. They taste great fresh and I've read they're great for applesauce, but I tried canning them and they don't keep well. They become too soft and rubbery.

Next I tried Braeburn. They look absolutely beautiful, don't you think?

I haven't yet opened them up to see how well they kept, but as I was processing them they felt more crisp and dense. Hopefully that's a good sign. We'll see. We need to get these ordered and in the ground before the end of March! We need to get to work!