When David and I were married, starving students in a university town, it was possible to throw our belongings into our red VW bug and move when a better opportunity arose. That happened twice before our first baby arrived and moving became ever so much more complicated. Thanks to the US Army, we studied the art of moving during the Viet Nam years when waiting for housing was standard operating procedure. We lived in temporary housing, apartments, and one trashy trailer as we made the mandatory waits. Just because David got a new assignment didn't mean one more move, it frequently meant two or three more moves. During those thirty plus moves, there was never an apple tree.
A few years ago, we determined that a Gala apple tree would adapt best to Yarnell's climate so we purchase a bare-roots, toothpick sized tree (we're not the last of the big spenders) and hoped that it would grow. We felt success two years ago when we shared twenty-four apples with the birds. One year ago we marvelled that apple tree branches were swaying outside our second floor window. Last winter we were blessed with twenty inches of rain; compare that to the average rainfall for Arizona at four inches annually and it's quick to see why I used the verb blessed. This year the Gala apple tree is weighted down with fruit. I know that we should have pinched off some tiny "applets" to produce larger apples but it just wasn't in my novice heart to do that. We have used no chemicals of any sort and so far have not experienced any pests.
Today I picked Gala apples from our own tree, peeled them while they radiated summer's warmth, and now await a cinnamony apple crisp.
Those Army days with the many moves afforded us traveling experiences, friends from all over America, opportunities to learn other cultures and languages, and a few apple crisp recipes.
Today's crisp has less brown sugar with agave nectar as a sweetener for both the apples and the topping. In a quest for healthier dessert, I now use soy flour, whole wheat and ground flax seeds to make the crumbly topping. Butter went by the wayside long ago and I find olive oil to be quite tasty.
Retirement's grand--I won't be planning any moves as I sit on our deck and enjoy the first apples of the season.
FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Okay, let's hear it for apple pie, motherhood, and old glory. Well, leave it to Badboulderlady. She sure slipped in a lot of nostalgia while telling you all about our Gala apple tree. But, let me tell you the real secret of our gorgeous Gala apple tree: gray water, from our kitchen sink. Living green here at Badboulder.
a parting shot from bbman: a man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.
So was that the first of the season or the whole crop? Either way, it sounds terrific!
ReplyDeleteit was the first of the season, can't even see that any are missing from the low branch I picked these from> The Gala tree is flush! Come have some.
ReplyDelete