Autumn Jewels

Nature’s bounty is abundant, beautiful & all apparent!

Casey Sills

I grew up out west where temperatures are mild & seasons quietly flow from one to the next.  This time of year in Kentucky, we feel a crispness in the air & see a transformation of astounding color. 

A favorite family tradition is the Autumn harvest of Apples!

 

Antonis Achilleos

Fresh Winesap from the orchard to fill a garden urn or Crispin for a handsome centerpiece in the library. With the bright greens, varying textures and fresh fragrance of the fruit, this gorgeous combination will long outlast a fresh floral bouquet.

Veranda

With their abundance, it’s not surprising that they have migrated beyond the kitchen and can be found in unexpected places throughout my house.

 But the best way to enjoy these sweet-smelling pommes is fresh from the tree!

I love the sweet & aromatic Monroe,

or a crisp green Crispin,

or a venerable old cultivar, the heirloom Winesap.

Flickr

There is nothing like biting into a beauty that you have just reached up & twisted from the branch of the tree! Tools of the trade that apple aficionados swear by are available for us to harvest our own.

Here is the pick of the crop!

This wooden Orchard Ladder by Peter Baldwin has a pointed top that rests in the crotch of tree limbs.

Fill wooden market baskets & give them to friends!

Felco’s classic 25-inch-long Lopper from Gempler's will cut branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter.

 Lower fruit into picking baskets with a front release skirt from Oescoinc.

The curved blade of this 14.5-inch pruning saw from Garrett Wade, keeps you from harming other branches in tight spots.

And this galvanized-steel handy Picking Bucket from Peach Ridge, along with a Fruit Harvester from Gardener's Edge will assist those who prefer to pick from ground level.

Happy Harvest!