Summer apples are really yummy. I just grafted a number of the Summer apples listed in the previous posts above, i can't wait for fruit. This year my William's pride is fruiting for the first time, I await with great anticipation. Summer apples are a big deal here in Santa Cruz county given that you have to go all the way to Anchorage, Alaska to find Summers as cool as ours. As you can imagine, we get some pretty high quality Summer apples thanks to the cool temps. Viking: Top of the list, flavor is a cross in between lychee and rose, totally yummy, ripens late July just before Gravenstein and has a 3 week window for us here, and will keep under conventional cooling storage for about 3 weeks if picked early. Red June: good but only because there's almost nothing around at that time of the year, ripens before Viking, early to mid July, decent flavor, goes mealy in the blink of an eye. Atlanta: this one is yummy, but doesn't keep well. Ready in late July. Pink pearl: yummy, pink fleshed apple, slightly tart but very aromatic, makes strawberry flavored apple juice. It comes in right around with Gravensteins, keeps very well, at least 6 weeks ripening in our climate. Yellow transparent: early July, excellent if you don't mind waiting next to the tree for the 3 hour window when it's perfect. Picked too early makes it too sour, picked too late makes it mealy. There are far superior selections of this type of apple that have been made in Europe. Transparente de Croncels comes to mind, it's a much larger apple and it's supposed to be one of the best. Pristine: Oh, one of my favorites, delicious, firm, crisp, ripens mid July, and keeps really well, up to 6 weeks. It becomes real fragrant and smells up the entire house. Gravenstein: One of the best all around apples, an apple just doesn't get any better than this one when it's grown in the cooler parts of the Central Coast of California. Ours keep very well because of the lack of Summer heat, up to 3 months in cold storage. They are so fragrant and delicious, everything anyone could want in an apple. Our Summer apples will be late this year - 58F outside as of 3PM and it's almost the 4th of July here. Burr, I wouldn't mind a little Summer feeling.

I am not sure what pear tree we have but I do put it in the pantry for a few weeks to continue ripening before canning. The pear I have does not tree ripen. ..... Right in picture

Another factor may be the amount of organic/decaying material in the medium, which the larvae feed on. Two plants I've had fungus gnats in had both been repotted into fast draining 511 type mixes, and allowed to dry down between waterings, but had some root rot issues I wasn't on top of and I'm sure that was key. Adjacent plants in moister finer soil were unaffected. Seemed bit backwards. My ferns (ladder, button, doryoptis) are keep pretty consistently moist - I barely let the surface of the soil dry out - and the gnats haven't gone for them. So I wouldn't rule out a whole category of plants just because they like moist soil. I think there's more to it than that. By the way, are the houseplant fungus gnats the same insect as the gnats out in the garden? Which we have clouds of?

Sorry for the yellowed image, it's gloomy outside today, but this is the view from the eating area in our kitchen. Here is where we eat 95% of our meals during cool or super hot weather, if it's mild or warm, we eat out side at the table. Our dining room is for larger gatherings. I love it there too, but rarely would the two of us choose to eat there alone. I've cleaned up the table so that the bottles of vitamins, supplements and Kleenex box are on the island, normally they live at DH's place! The tv is on the counter, to the right of the table. DH hates it being on in the mornings because it disturbs his reading of the paper, however we are usually watching the news or Jeopardy during dinner. Rarely do we eat in the den. We just don't find it comfortable to hang over the low coffee table while sitting on the sofa. Although that said, DH takes a tray in there when I'm having a Mahjongg game at the kitchen table. DD moved to Georgia and has the above areas and a darling screened in porch. I think that would be the best of both worlds.