Apple Carpet

When we moved into our home fifteen years ago, we discovered an orchard of apple trees. I say "discovered" because we didn't know they were there! We visited the house, which was for sale by owner, several times before buying, touring the house, yard, and basement. But we never noticed the apple trees (or the single peach tree). I'll never forget the day my husband came running inside to announce what he had uncovered. Did I say the house and yard were in bad shape? Yep, heaps of junk inside the house, basement and outbuildings, and entire areas of our one acre yard covered with invasive vine.

The peach tree, a white peach, died a couple of years ago, and only a few apple trees are left now. We didn't spray the fruit when the kids were small, not wanting them to walk around chewing pesticide-laced fruit. And you know they would have. Making matters worse, we didn't prune - have to prune the fruit trees to get a quality yield, right? This summer, several branches have snapped under the weight of the fruit. The apples are not good for pies, or even for eating, since they are badly misshapen and shared by many other critters.

Just look at all the apples on the ground! It's a carpet of rotting apples! Glad my Grandma can't see our lavish waste spread out on the grass - a feast for bees, wasps, butterflies, and yellow jackets. If you click on the photo below for a close-up, you'll see the many, many yellow jackets enjoying our apples and making themselves a danger for anyone wandering near.

If I could just find a cider press....