Apple-picking time

There are a few varieties of apples which have very low chilling requirements and can be grown here. This is an Ein Shemer apple tree, which is an Israeli cultivar The fruit is yellowish green and similar in taste to a Golden Delicious. We've had this tree for about eight years....it's one of the first non-citrus trees we planted that lived to tell the tale. It's a smallish tree, which we prefer because it's easier to harvest the fruit, and because small trees allow us to have many different kinds in our tract-home-size backyard.

I thinned this tree heavily in the spring, but apparently not heavily enough. Since the fruit seems to be ripening earlier than usual this year, we'll take some of the tension off the branches by picking and eating apples! Stay tuned...I may try making apple butter this year!