If you remember, 2021 was the second year of the Covid shutdown. At the time, it seemed like a good time to preserve a lot of food. We canned about 180 quarts of apple sauce. We gave some away, but less than you think.
Our "budget" for apple sauce had been 50 quarts for a year. My thinking had been one-a-week. That worked out pretty closely. We ate 2021 apple sauce in 2022, 2023, 2024 and for half of 2025. 180 quarts / 3.5 years = 51 quarts per year.
We do have some 2024 apple sauce in the root cellar but it didn't turn out very well because it was an "off" year for our Liberty apples.
2,4-D revisited
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| This is a "before" picture of part of the orchard floor where there was a butt-load of burdock. Clicking on the images will enlarge them so you can get a better sense of the difference. |
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| This is what it looks like 30 hours after spraying with 2,4-D. It is probably not the exact, same patch but it gives you a sense of what 2,3-D does to broadleafed weeds. It makes them writhe with pain. |
2,4-D is a synthetic, plant growth-hormone that triggers "undifferentiated" growth. So rather than have the plant's growth accelerate in a rational and coordinated manner (which would just result in larger weeds), 2,4-D growth in some types of cells but not others, resulting in warped and twisted stems and (very important here) clogging pores that transport water and nutrients.
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| The effect on two-year old plants isn't quite as dramatic, yet. It takes time for the active ingredient to diffuse through the plant and then trigger growth. |
The Eaton Rapids property sat under a conveyor belt that brought pop-up storm after pop-up storm. We are looking at 2" of rain over the event which will end by Saturday.
The Upper and Hill Orchards are not so lucky.
Woodchucks?
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| This is one (of two) branches that was broken by a woodchuck. The graft is about 6' above ground. Woodchucks love to eat mulberry leaves and fruit. |
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| Note to self: Prune the branches of one-year-old, grafted mulberry trees to stubs in the fall. |
What do you use apple sauce for? We like it but eat it only with pork so we don't make a lot each year. We also make redcurrant jelly to eat with lamb but have resisted all temptation to use the horseradish that grows in the garden to make horseradish sauce to eat with beef or salmon, because decent stuff is so cheap at the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteWith salmon this week we ate our own tarragon sauce which also goes well with chicken, guinea fowl, and so forth.
I add it to barbecue sauce for ribs or pulled pork. Adds some sweetness, and it’s supposed to help tenderize the fiberous meats.
DeleteSouthern NH
Most of it goes in, or on-top-of my morning cereal. I mix it with my oatmeal. Or, if I am eating 40% Wheat Bran flakes, I ladle it on top.
DeleteA question RE: 2,4-D.....ground ivy has marched out of the woods adjacent to my yard and is slowly taking over; I've been looking for something to kill it off - recognizing that doing so will be an annual project because I can't go much over 4-5 feet beyond my property line so encroachment will be perpetual - would 2,4-D take care of it or might something closer to total nuclear destruction be appropriate?
ReplyDeleteAccording to my brother who cares for the yards of many little, old ladies...2 ounces of 50% concentrate in "water", spray-to-dripping when the ground ivy is flowering.
DeleteThe water is soft-water that has ammonium sulfate or citric acid added to it as well as a surfactant.
Koolade lemonade is a convenient source of citric acid, although it is cheaper from a bulk food store and is usually found in the canning section. Dawn dish detergent is an easy-to-find surfactant.
If you missed the flowering period (late-May and early-June in southern Michigan), then fertilize the area and water heavily to stimulate new growth. Wait about four-to-six days and then spray as described above.