unless you plan on spraying (Yuck! Ptui!). I have a Honeycrisp and a Honeygold, and in those years when I can get around to bagging the apples in June I get a great crop in October. If I don't do it the apple maggots ruin them and nobody can eat them but the birds and the squirrels.

down to the healthiest looking apple and zip lock each one. I'm determined to eat my own apples this year!

It means getting up on a ladder, which doesn't thrill me much. I've had my trees for awhile and they are pretty big - I can't get to all of the apples but I should be able to save quite a few. There were a lot of blossoms this year. I've also got a cherry tree, and in the past I've been able to beat the birds to enough of the cherries to make jam, but last year they were infested with the latest invasive insect pest, spotted-wing drosophila. So I guess the birds and the bugs will win this year.

all of the clusters without a ladder, so it'll be easy.

It's a long time until October. Maybe I can manage to keep on to eat on election day!

Maybe even enough for a pie. If they're good for pies, anyway.

I have a neighbor with a tree of Granny Smith apples. He doesn't consume any of them, and is happy to have me pick as many as I want. So, there are my pie apples.