Not a bad apple harvest, given how my year has been...

[Nickelless]

I figured I couldn't wait any longer to pluck the apples from my trees, as bugs and other critters are really getting aggressive with some of the fruit and I've lost probably 20 apples but still managed to get 66 apples of varying size and quality yesterday from two semi-dwarf Red Delicious trees that I planted in 2011. Given that I've been more concerned about fighting cancer this year than fighting insects and squirrels, I'm happy with what I'm ending up with. My neighbor is going to cook up and can some more apple butter for my wife and me!

For those of you who know a bit about apples, any idea what the pimple-like protrusion is on the apple in the second photo? It's about the size of a dime, and I don't recall seeing anything like that last year.

The third photo shows the two remaining apples from the Zestar variety tree I planted between the two Red Delicious trees. I'm content to let that tree be just a cross-pollinator for the Red Delicious trees, as you can see that the fruit from the Zestar seems to be pretty attractive to bugs, much more so than the Red Delicious. I didn't use any pesticides or other deterrent measures this year as I had bigger problems to worry about, but I think this will be at the top of my list next year.

Any idea what causes apples to have rather deep indentations, as in the fourth photo?

And the last two photos show just how much I was able to harvest, about 50 percent more apples than last year--not a bad haul for just two trees that have been cultivated by an amateur.

[Hawkeye]

Nice apples. I got nothing from my trees this year. I think a late frost got them. But I had the best cherry harvest I've ever had. Good stuff!

[justoneguy]

My neighbor is going to cook up and can some more apple butter for my wife and me!

Hope she washed her hands first!

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