Them Apples

We have four huge, ancient apple trees on our property. When we bought this place it was advertised as an "orchard," which is a bit of a stretch, but they certainly add character to our little estate. Last year we were so overwhelmed with establishing our garden that we didn't have time to even think about harvesting apples. The trees are so big that the fruits are all out of reach, and the few we found on the ground were already rotten or eaten through by insects. We wrote the apple trees off as bucolic ambiance and left it at that.

While cleaning out the shed this spring, we found this tool amidst the junk the former owner left behind. It took us a while to figure out that it's used for picking fruit from high branches. In the past week those apples started looking so ripe and tempting, so Mark dragged out the ladder and the apple-picking tool so we could try some. Talk about a smart move. The apples are good sized, firm, crisp, and sweet--such a lovely surprise! Yes, there are some bug holes bored into some of them, but considering they're a completely organic, foraged treat, we're very impressed. So impressed that we picked 15 pounds today and are trying to figure out a way to reach the rest.

Now what to do with all of them?