Not everything here is rusty tractors.

Not quite, lately I've become interested (Again) in old time heritage apple varieties. I planted a few trees this spring, a Wealthy, a Jonathan, a McIntosh, and a Bartlett Pear. I'm looking for, and planting to plant a Rambo, a Northern Spy, a Willow Twig, and a Red Delicious, and others. Ohh, have to have a Rome Beauty too. The goal being to stick close to varieties common in Northern Ohio in 1900 or earlier.

Growing up, every year a fall tradition was making apple sauce with Grandma, every year Grandma would get a load of McIntosh apples, or Jonathans if thats all she could find. Mom and I would peel like psycotics and grandma would cook, now, you had to be able to read through those skins or Grandma would give us heck.

Apple sauce, and a cider press, I'll have one if I have to build it myself.

Now that I have blundered off into nostalgia, I'll take a moment to note the farm apple tree, ours, (I've mentioned before) might be a century old for all I know, it's grown out of size and has been producing small fruit. I hope to correct that once it's size is back under control though. It's family I regret to say, is unknown, but I believe it's something close to a Mcintosh, definately a cooking apple. I also intend to graft off the old tree to keep it going.

One of it's offspring, well three of them, grew up behind the big barn on the edge of the lime pile, and they are terrific, don't think they are anything in particular, just a good farm apple.

Next winter I learn grafting, should be interesting.