Incredible, beautiful and always perfect. MrsG

Thank you all!
>>What rootstock are your trees on?I grown all root stock from seeds, mostly crab apples.

Today I was in shock at the orchard,.. out of nowhere there was this moose next to me about 8 yards away wanting to eat some apples. I left one tree alone just for wildlife but never figured one of these guy's would come around this time of the year. It was my first eye to eye contact with a moose in the orchard, ..definitely a treat, luckily I had my pocket camera near by.

Young moose.
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This far north orchard has a growing season of about ninety days. The full size seedling rootstock can grow only dwarf size apple trees! Insect pests are non existent...co existent with large herbivores!

Konrad! Nice orchard, and a very healthy looking young moose. Glad to see you keep some trees for the creatures :D

That is one large 'orchard' animal. I'm surprised he didn't run. Must be very young. What couldn't help but smell those delicious apples in the air! Mrs. G

Thank you all!
I checked my home brew trail camera,...this guy got shot from both sides! LOL

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According to the motion camera, moose only showed up one's.

Some more pictures from the harvest, drying apples, some red flesh. At times, 3 dehydrators are going.

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In the back is the Cabela dehydrator with some Mirabelle Plums in it, on some plums I tried getting the pits out with the cherry pitter, it worked not too bad. This dehydrator is pretty good but not the slides, the tray's are very nice and the machine is quiet, about half the noise of the American harvester. Size wise it's about the same as the American harvester with 8 trays.

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This was the largest apple called Garland, similar to the one I posted for a name, it's a cooking apple.
About a pound!
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This Goodland apple grew in a crutch.
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Got it out and wanted to capture the shape.
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Several Collet apples looked like this.
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An afternoon's work processing
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Redwell apples, picked these Oct. 1, just barely ripe before a frost, it took about 10 years for it to fruit.

It was raining
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How do you keep all that cider?

Konrad what a productive orchard you have. It is beautiful. I wish I lived closer to buy your cider and honey! Mrs. G

Thanks Conrad. I always look forward to seeing your pics. It is a credit to you that you can produce so well under such challenging growing conditions.

Wow, thanks for sharing those pictures, they really filled me with good feelings! What a life you must have! Cheers!

Thank you all!

>>How do you keep all that cider?Allot gets frozen, allot gets filled in new 4 L jugs and sold.
About 100 liters I sold to someone making wine, about the same amount with some honey I trade with a friend for about 7 metric tons manure. Some is a giveaway to family members friends and the shop I work.

All apple juice is from handpicked apples only and washed, no windfall or fallen down apples when picking. I find it's a must for safety health reason when selling unpasteurized juice to the public. Using all nice unbruised apples makes the juice last for a long time....slow going into fermentation. Some juice was still sweet in the fridge about 2 or 3 month later. Now it's getting cold so I can leave allot outside. I like to drink when the fermentation reaches that half stage,.. still a bit sweet with the carbon bubbling, when cold, it's sooo...good!

I sold 600lb apples/windfall, $.10cents/lb to someone feeding to he's 6 pigs, he is drying the apples.

The first time this year I dry the pulp on a tarp, it has worked out pretty good in our sunny dry Alberta. Sold several bags to people with 4 pet donkeys. I'm sure, it has to be good for allot of animals, I was going to feed some to my pet Deer or Moose this winter.

Pulp on Tarp
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You must have a HUGE freezer!

Yes, ..we have a long cold winter!

impressive on a number of levels....your pictures are more stunning and visually provocative than what I would see in a professional magazine....but then, maybe you are a professional.

Thank you Donnie!
No professional,...just love to take nature shots.

It looks like this year there is more moose then I bargained for, ..so far two males, a mother with offspring.

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Stripping tree
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Some coyotes
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Konrad - there's white stuff on your grass!

I hope the moose don't damage the tress like the deer do.

[are those woofs, not coyotes? the moose better watch out!]

Konrad! You already have a bit of snow. Love looking at the wild animals. I am so glad the moose aren't in my back yard! LOL. Mrs. G

We had a good year,..around 180 day, "long" growing season. Sometimes snow starts mid Oct. and stays! Yesterday I picked the last Redwell tree,... just finished drying them. [picture below]. I don't mind white on the ground, I need early hibernation after a buys summer LOL. Winters here are dry with fluffy snow most of you south don't experience unless you go skiing on top of high mountain peaks, allot of sunshine,..I don't mind at all.

Redwell Apples, not a pretty tree, it kept freezing back, then I neglected it,.. these sustained temperatures of around minus 8C, [17F] apples still looked good inside. Tonight it will be around minus 12C / 10F

In the background to the right you see some nice size crab apples, one of my seedlings, they're for the wildlife.
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We've been in a deep freeze for quite some times, again, apple trees didn't have time to drop leaves.

from yesterday..
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Brrr...

This post was edited by konrad___far_north on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 20:38

Konrad my friend, what lovely photographs as always. I so appreciate the lovely snow and cold where you live and have a magnificent orchard. It is a wonderland of beauty. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Gibson

Thank you Mrs. Gibson!

To all of you a Merry Christmas and good things to come in the new year!

Yes,.. there will be many new years to come,..it will not end tonight as some believe,..if interested, you can read more from Billy Meier.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apocalypse on the 21st of December 2012

Thanks Konrad for the end of the year treat with beautiful pictures of your orchard, crop and the visiting animals. We all enjoy evrey picture and wish the same for our trees but we always end up saying 'hopefully next year'.

Lovely - especially the one where the moose is on his knees :)

Thanks so much...hopefully you'll have better luck next year, Ottawan.

The other day, the black box, [chrismasgift] caught this metorite over Beaumont and Orchard!
For larger video, click bottom right little squere for full screen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Meteorite

Konrad, How much do think those moose weight?

Your guess is my guess...these are not all that heavy, the largest bull perhaps around 800lb.

Nice pictures Konrad. Cool video! Keep your eyes on the skies!
Merry Christmas
Noogy

Konrad, I love looking at your pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you all!
It's been a harsh winter so far, it only warmed up one's in 3 month to above freezing temp,. ..which means it was extremely tough on the honey bees. Above freezing temp. makes them going again, move around and go to their food source, [honey] but when it's so cold they don't move much and can starve. As it looks, at least 3 hives are dead from my 5 hives. I'm happy to have one at least,...then I wouldn't have to buy.

On a better note,...I'm happy that the Norkent apples kept so nice and crisp in this plastic bag, I'm on the last bag.

Today's picture, Norkent, sweet, crisp with the right amount of acid, these are about as good as any store bought apples. I only keep these because they're the best eating and keeping.
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Wow, those Norkent apples are amazing... eating fresh homegrown fruit in Alberta in February is something most people wouldn't believe. I once kept September Ruby apples in the fridge into March but they were looking like they'd been through a dehydrator by then :)

So sorry about your bees but keep pushing that envelope
The winter pixs are breathtaking & your apple orchard is simply ever so lovely
Thank you for the inspiration I have to go spray my trees

Oh Konrad, I feel your pain but by losing bees your pain is far worse than mine. It has been a stupid winter here and making no sense yet again! First it is mild, no snow at all. Then a lot of rain, then freezing temperatures, then last friday, through saturday we got two feet of snow. We thought we were prepared for the snow but none of us really were. Your apples look superb as always. Mrs. G

Thank you all!
Mrs. G...hope your orchard will be OK,.. we're like farmers, loss of live stock, loss of plants,..mother nature has the upper hand!

Today I was out first time this year for pruning, [Evans Cherries] even at freezing minus 5C.
It probably would be better in March, figured, if moose can, so can I. Mostly I just cut out dead wood, every year there is some.

It is a bit puzzling to me, why this much dead wood, ..is it all by freeze back?
Are you guy's in warmer climate have this, maybe they naturally have some dying back branches?

This picture shows the dark side branches, all dead, the new light color branches are new from last year, they look alive now but come summer, some will be dead.

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Even though Evan's cherry is a very special super duper hardy cherry
I wonder if its getting too much wind pushing it below the cold it can handle?
New branches will be more sensitive than old branches.
So long ago I planted a tree for my bf's mother & even tho the cherry was rated for that zone
it did not survive the winter
In the spring the nursery was good enough to sell me one 1/2 price
this time I found a place for it still in full sun but protected from N winds
It thrived & I made pies from it years later

I have some right in the bush and they do the same, I must say,
one I had growing in town [warmer], it did better then out in the country,..I find them just borderline.

Been pruning in the apple orchard, here a older wound, like a cold sore, happens when winter sets early and sap freezes.
Cold air settles on the lower/slope side of the hill and that's where the freezing is the worst.

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Larger branch in front was pulled away from moose,...not much of a problem when you have too many branches anyway.
To the right, a tree was cut down last year when it died due to severe cold damage.
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...
Here a link to the old thread

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchard pictures...

Here a link again to the my juicer..

Here is a link that might be useful: My Juicer

A link to my bark grafting technique...

Here is a link that might be useful: Konrad's modified bark grafting

A link to the metal working...

Here is a link that might be useful: Working with metal is fun!

A link to honey bees..

Here is a link that might be useful: Show & Tell your Hive

Link to a plum thread....

Here is a link that might be useful: Lets talk about Plum

Konrad,
Be careful around moose! They can charge you and kill you.

Hey konrad thanx for those links!
I woke mid night with no good book, refuse to be tempted by tv
your stuff was informative but how I miss snow

Thank you all!

Here a link to build Trail cameras..

Here is a link that might be useful: Self Portrait of Birds and....

Link
Growing Sweet Cherries in Zone 3...

Here is a link that might be useful: Evans Cherry root stock

Link...Build a root cellar into the side of a hill.

I'm not done yet,.. hopefully this year?

Here is a link that might be useful: Build a root cellar into the side of a hill

I'm home with a cold, reading through older conversations.

The moose and coyotes sure made me smile.

My tiny urban garden is about the opposite of your splendid orchard. But we grow what we can -- fruit trees, honeybees and chickens.

Thank you Lisa!
Looks like you're pretty versatile...good for you!

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchard Pictures 2013

Konrad:

What are the spacing of your trees like the ones in the 2nd,3rd, and 4th picture at the top of this page? What rootstock are they on? Would help me out a lot!

Joe