Just took this pic of a couple of deer eating apples under one of our apple trees. I guess they are telling me the apples are almost ready to pick
Yes, they usually start picking them right off the trees in July around here. WE have one apple tree close to our house and they come daily to check for drops.
..so, I don't have deer (thankfully) to eat the apples the squirrels knock down. Any good ideas on what to do w/them? Too many to go in my composter bin. Must be about 4-5 bushels on the ground right now.
Make cider! Most of the cider is made from drops anyway. That is what we do but I have not made any for a couple years now. Hope we can this fall.
I found a few drops this morning. Each with either a squirrel or rabbit bite in it. Apparently not tasty. Dunno if just fell or knocked off. I picked the few asian pears we got this year. Not many but the few we got are huge. In the past I could tell squirrels because the little buggers only eat the seeds in the pears. Ruin a perfectly good pear to get at the middle. Haven't seen any signs of deer around but it isn't uncommon to not see them until there's not much for them away from houses.
We're having deer come to the apple tree in the yard (about 25' from the house) every morning and evening now.
Grabbed a pickup of firewood yesterday and day before out in the woods (free stuff) and stopped by one of those neglected and since gone wild apple trees that was loaded. finally found one that was good tasting and ended up with fresh apple crisp a couple hours later! Yum!
I have a small orchard and wild apple trees around the farm. This time of year they go for the wild apple trees, more cover for them there. The deer don't bother my 'planted' ones...in the middle of winter though they beet down a run to the 'planted orchard' and paw all over to eat the drops. The trees are mature and loaded. I don't spray them, just prune them...can't give the apples away unless somebody wants a bucket or two for their chickens or what not. They don't look like the ones in the grocery store...no foolin...but they taste great and have no chemicals either.
