Crabapples!

This morning Gerard and I picked crabapples. You know what that means? Canning season has officially begun!

We made the largest haul yet, which surprised me considering the late spring freeze killed off the vast majority of blooms earlier this year. I didn't know if we'd get any at all. But we happened to find two spectacular crabapple trees that clearly made it through the frost unscathed. These trees also have the largest, tastiest crabapples we've yet found. We also got smarter about picking this year. Instead of filling our bags by hand picking, we laid out a tarp and shook the trees. We got twice as many apples in half the time. This method also tends to give apples that are perfectly ripe while leaving on the tree the ones that need a bit more time.

I've started making a canning list. Last year we had too little crabapple jelly and salsa, and perhaps a bit too much apple butter and pumpkin butter. Guests always tended to leave with a few jars of this or that which depleted the stock more than I expected. This year we'll be ready. Peaches are just about to hit their stride, but they aren't quite ready for canning. About the time I've rebuilt my stock of crabapple jelly it should be time to dive into the peaches.