Pruning Fruit Trees

There are a variety of reasons to prune trees.  We prune our fruit trees for production and ease of picking.  We moved here three seasons ago and had the trees pruned professionally the first year.  The pruner, Mario talked while he pruned and explained what to do and why.  You want to prune in the winter or early spring when the tree is still dormant before the leaves are out.

This photo shows an apple tree before it is pruned for the season.  You need to cut back the tall branches so it is easier to harvest the fruit.  Most of the new growth grows straight up.

You prune the branches back to a bud facing the direction you want the new branch to grow.  You usually want out-facing buds so the branches grow away from the centre.

Sometimes the centre of the tree has gotten too bare and you prune the branch with a centre-facing bud so the new branch can fill the space.  You do not want the centre too full though, because the fruit needs the sun to ripen.

You also prune away any weak looking branches that won't hold the weight of the fruit or branches that are crossed or rubbing. 

Here is the first tree again after it has been pruned.  Notice how you try to keep the tree at a manageable height so harvest can be achieved as much as possible without a ladder.

Here you can see the buds facing different directions.

Again you can see the tall branches in the back that have not been pruned yet.  You can see the branches that have been left after pruning around strong enough to hold the fruit.

Some of the branches have grown twisted and crooked over the years.  These get pruned out from time to time as new ones get strong enough to take their place.

Here is a row of trees all pruned and waiting for spring.



Hot Cross Buns

I made these Hot Cross Buns a number of years ago and loved it so much, I've made them ever since.  I can't remember where I got the recipe from originally so it will have to go uncredited. :(

The recipe makes 24 buns which should be enough for anyone for Easter.  A couple of years ago, we had a Hot Cross Bun hankering and I made my first batch in February.  By Easter that year, we had eaten three batches!  Oink! Oink!

Ingredients

1/2 c warm water
2 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp sugar

1 c warm milk
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
3 eggs
1 egg yolk

5+ c flour
1 c currants
1 c chopped mixed candied peel (I use deluxe glace fruit - it has whole cherries and chunks of pineapple in it)

1 egg white

Glaze
1 c icing sugar
2 Tbsp milk


Mix yeast, 1 tsp sugar and warm water and let stand 10 min.
In mixing bowl, mix together milk, butter, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, salt and spices. Add flour, candied peel and currants.
 

 

whole fruit



chopped fruit


Add more flour until no longer sticky.  Knead 5+ min. 

This makes a very soft dough.  Place in a greased bowl and cover and let rise until double.

Cut into 24 pieces and form them into buns.  To cut into 24 pieces - cut in half (you now have two pieces), cut each piece in half again (4 pieces), half again (8 pieces), and finally in thirds (24 pieces total).

Place them on a greased cookie sheet not touching each other.

Let rise again.



When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross.



 

Brush them with egg white and bake in pre-heat oven at 400°F for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until buns are golden brown, about 5 -10 minutes more.

Transfer to a wire rack.
Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern.

Serve warm or cold.

 
I wasn't very fond of store bought Hot Cross Buns because they had a tendency to be dry and go stale quickly.  These buns are soft and moist and stay that way.  They are an Easter tradition in my household.  ;)

Enjoy!

Lulu's Boyfriend

One day, I heard a tapping in the pantry and went to check out the noise.  Lulu was sitting on one of her old throw rugs.  "What do ya want?"  asked Lulu.  "Can't a girl and her roo have some privacy?"

"I was just sitting here minding my own business when -- Oh Hellooo."  cooed Lulu, "What's you're name?"

"Don't mind me, I just want a little peck.  Oh, what nice red wattles you have.  Very manly!"

"What a nice, big comb you have."  said Lulu, "It stands up so nice and straight - not all floppy looking like mine."

"Oohh, you have flakes, corn flakes . . . I love corn.  Will you share?" asks Lulu as she pecks the box.  "Boy, you sure are the strong, silent type!"

"What's this?"  asked Lulu.  "Are you trying to hide strawberries in the corner here?  Boy, that's gratitude for you, I let you share my favorite corner and not only do you NOT talk but you HIDE food too!!  MEN!" huffs Lulu and she hops off leaving the tall, silent gentlemen alone, in the corner, with his cereal and strawberry.

Go Anywhere Rhubarb Squares

 

 

 

These squares are great!  Tart from the rhubarb but just sweet enough with a buttery shortbread crust.  Here is the link to the original recipe.  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/go-anywhere-rhubarb-squares/Detail.aspx

 

Go Anywhere Rhubarb Squares

Ingredients:

Crust

1 c. flour
1/3 c. icing sugar
1/3 c. butter or marg
Filling

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

 

Crust

Combine flour & icing sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.Press into the bottom of a greased 9x9 baking pan. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes.

Filling

Combine first four ingredients. Stir in rhubarb; pour over warm crust.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

Cool on wire rack. Serve warm if desired. 

Since we really like these squares, I freeze rhubarb so I can make them during the winter.  I chop the rhubarb into small cubes and freeze the 3 cups needed for one recipe in a freezer bag.  I mix it up with the rhubarb frozen and it turns out great.  You may have to cook it a little longer with frozen rhubarb but no other adjustments need to be made.  Enjoy! :)

Lulu Goes to a Party

My sister lives on an acreage near Saskatoon.  We had the party for my dad's 80th birthday at her place.  Over the last few weeks, I had been doing the baking (lemon squares for my dad as well as the party plus a variety of other dainties).  All recipes have either been posted or will be posted over the next month or so.

Everyone was at my sister's place so Lulu had to go as well.  I couldn't leave her shut in my parent's laundry room nor could she have free run of their place.  Since my sister has a cat, and Lulu doesn't like noise and crowds, we set up a room for her downstairs.  All day long, I conducted Lulu tours for people who wanted to meet the travelling chicken.  She got tired of all the fuss after awhile and would hide in her carrier.

When most of the people had left, my sister put her cat out for awhile so Lulu could come upstairs.  Lulu then wandered around the kitchen which is decorated with strawberries.

"What's in the pot."  Lulu asked.  "Anything edible?"

"These look interesting."  mused Lulu.  "They should be tasty - so nice and red."

"They were too hard," pouted Lulu.  "Maybe they aren't ripe yet."

"Hey! What's this in this dish?"  questioned Lulu.  "It looks like food."

"Hmmm.  I wonder if someone left this here for me."  asked Lulu.

"I don't like that piece.  It's too big and lumpy."  fussed Lulu.

"I don't like those either.  Isn't there anything here that tasted good?  I'll have to keep digging until I find some."  said Lulu with determination in her eye.

"Oh, oh.  Someone made a mess here.  I don't think I'll get invited back to this place."  mumbled Lulu as she checked out the mess she made.

"Aah!  Back at grandma's on my own favorite rug - messed up just so."  sighs Lulu.  "Almost as good as being home."

On the Road with Lulu

My dad turned 80 this month so we had a family supper and a party for him in Saskatoon.  My neighbour volunteered to look after the chickens while we were gone but it was too cool to leave Lulu outdoors.  Last time we all went out of town and left the chickens was in the summer and Lulu was able to stay outside and sleep in her nest in the garage.  Usually my son had been home but he wasn't going to miss grandpa's birthday.  So Lulu came along on the trip. 

First on the list of things to do was pack our luggage.  Here is Lulu's and my luggage.

My luggage.

Lulu's luggage.

When I travelled with Lulu last summer, we went to Edmonton to visit my aunt in the hospital.  She sat in her carrier in the front seat.  We stopped a number of times along the road so we both could stretch our legs.  Here Lulu is checking out her travelling accommodations.  She has room to turn around in plus food and water in her carrier.

This time the trip was not only to Edmonton in one day (I took two in the summer) and onto to Saskatoon the next, it was too cold and wintry to stop and let Lulu out.  "If you think I'm going out in that cold weather, you're crazy."  exclaimed Lulu.

So Lulu had the back seat mostly to herself.  I would sit with her on occasion and she would sit out on blankets instead of in her carrier.  She liked being able to see what was happening around her.  When I sat with her I usually held her on a towel on my lap.  Naturally she put me to sleep like she does when we lay on the couch.  She is much better than a sleeping pill.  She didn't sleep though, as she was watching trees and poles fly by.  She would watch one tree until it was out of sight and then watch another.  She was making me dizzy watching her watching trees.

Since the trip to Edmonton took over ten hours, we travelled the last of the trip in the dark.  I hadn't latched Lulu's door and heard it slam a couple of times but I didn't see anything in the backseat in the dark so thought it might have been a rough spot on the road.  It turned out Lulu snuck out of her carrier and lay down on some of the luggage and blankets as close to the front seat as she could.  She didn't make a sound and when I found her there once we got to Edmonton, it reminded me of a little kid who sneaks out of their room when they are supposed to be in bed.  This is a pic I snapped from the front passenger seat with Lulu as close as she can get without giving herself away.

We did stop to get some "touristy" pics with Lulu.  We stopped at Vegreville, Alberta so she could see the egg. 

She wasn't impressed by the size of it because it was too cold and blustery for her.  A couple of quick snapshots and back into the warm vehicle.

We also stopped at Radisson, Saskatchewan to show Lulu the Red Bull but again the wind ruffled her feathers and she was anxious to leave.



We stayed with my parents in Saskatoon and Lulu came out to the party at my sister's place but that is another story.