Earlier, I wrote of our small fruit harvest. I started calling this one: large fruit harvest – to distinguish it from the small fruits – but that’s ambiguous: is the fruit harvest bountiful? or is the fruit itself large. In any case, we’ve been eating apricots, peaches and apples for about a month and a half.
Apricots. We have only 1 apricot tree and actually get fruit from it about every 7 years. Sometimes the blooms get frosted, other years the young fruit falls off (who knows why?), occasionally, the varmints (coons & possums) get the entire crop. But this year – we had a crop! Some of the fruit got wormy but we still had enough for fresh eating, drying, and apricot preserves. A rare treat.
Peaches: we have 2 basic kinds: grafted trees and non grafted or native peaches. The grafted trees usually have ripe peaches for a month beginning in mid-July. The native peaches ripen for a month beginning mid-September. The original grafted trees were purchased from a tree nursery; since then, we have used those trees as a resource to graft onto our peach seedling trees to have more grafted trees. We have 2 kinds of grafted peaches: New Haven & Reliance. The photo below is of the reliance peach tree.
What do I mean by “native peaches”? I am referring to trees that grow from seed. There were peach and plum trees here when we bought the farm in the mid 70s. Many of the fruit fall to the ground and rot – and sprout new trees! We often transplant these spouts into our “orchard” – an area where we take care of our trees and harvest the fruit.
What’s the difference between grafted and native peaches? As I mentioned earlier, they ripen at different times of the yeat; however, the most striking difference is in the size and appearance. The grafted peaches are much larger (4 times as large), and usually more colorful – a mixture of bright red & yellow, whereas the native ones are more subdued. Taste? It is hard to generalize since it varies from tree to tree and year to year; however, in general, the grafted ones we have are more succulent & sweeter (if not, we do not graft that kind!). But since they mature at different times, whatever is in season, is the tastiest!
Apples. We do not grow/harvest non grafted trees – with the exception of one crab apple tree. There probably are good native apple trees out there, but they are much more rare than the peaches. We have 2 kinds as well: summer & fall apples. Summer apples mature earlier (early August) and are generally not as crisp as the later ones. Of course, we eat them when they ripen, but they are more of a cooking/baking apple – great for apple sauce, pies, etc. The later (fall) apples are generally tastier for fresh eating and store better.
July 25, 2009 at 8:58 am |
Five years ago I purchased a Red Haven peach tree from K Mart. I’d guess it was 2-3 years old at the time, being 5 feet tall. I planted the tree and it survived the winter. However, in the spring, it got eaten down to nothing by the neighborhood deer. I left it alone and “it” came back, stronger each year. The tree has produced fruit for two years now. However, I don’t think they are Red Haven peaches growing. The fruit is light green, fuzzy, oblong plum shaped, and no more than two inches in diameter. The flesh is semi sweet and light green. I think that maybe this tree may have reverting back to the graft stock tree that the Red Haven was grafted to. Any thoughts on what I have? Thanks, Reba, KC MO
July 25, 2009 at 12:03 pm |
Reba
I think your guess is what i would guess as well: that the tree reverted back to root stock; our Red Haven peaches are generally large – 3″ -4″ in diameter and reddish – kinda the classic looking peach you find in grocery stores. Also they are very juicy and sweet whereas our native peaches are more what you describe your fruit being.
oh well, at least you have peaches!
we have had several different varieties over the years; Red Haven is my favorite.
good luck, stan