Apple picking in Cape Breton cottage country

It is apple picking season in Nova Scotia. When we think of apple picking, we often think of orchards in the Annapolis Valley. What many people don’t know is that we have beautiful apple orchards yielding the best fruit right here in Cape Breton.

While they may not be on the scale of those in the Valley, orchards like Glenbourne Orchard near Baddeck and the orchard at Mabou Gardens in Mabou are providing memorable apple picking experiences to families all over the island.

There are a lot of things to like about life in the country, but I think one of my favourite things in the fall is picking apples on the trees near my cottage in Middle River.

There are a lot of trees in the area and a small orchard in the back of the cottage. Some of the trees produce really nice, sweet apples and others are bitter. I usually start taste testing in early September, but it is usually mid-October before I find one that is ready for eating.

It is always interesting to see which trees are going to produce a lot of apples in the fall and which ones will produce less. Some years are better than others as far as how many apples you can expect. Sometimes trees that grow apples one year may not produce any the next. You can usually tell what kind of apple season it is going to be when the apple blossoms begin to bloom in mid to late June.

I haven’t done a lot of research about what species of apples are on the property. I do know that some are better for eating than others. You can look at an apple on the tree and think it will taste delicious but then find out it is surprisingly bitter. I do know that the smaller and the greener the apple the less appealing it is to eat.

There is no better time at the cottage than when apple picking season rolls around. Not just because the apples are ripe for the picking but because the leaves are at their peak colours as well. The red in the apples is matched only by the red in the leaves.

We have a tradition in the fall at the cottage. When the apples are ready to harvest around the end of September or early October, my husband and I will pick the ripe apples and make the first apple pie of the season. We jokingly call it cottage apple pie. Somehow that pie that is baked with apples that we picked ourselves on property that we own makes that pie taste the most delicious.

When it comes to apple picking in an area where the trees have not been treated for insects or bugs, it is not uncommon for the apples to be a little ugly. Many of them have little black spots on them or are irregular in shape. They don’t always look like the ones you find at the grocery store.

After doing a little research I learned that the spots are referred to as sooty blotches. They appear because of damp growing conditions and are merely superficial. They don’t affect the texture or taste of the apple. Once washed and peeled, they are just like any other apple. In fact, the apples on the trees near our cottage could be considered organic as they have never been treated with synthetic chemicals.

It is not uncommon when apple picking in the country to come upon an apple that appears perfect in every way, size, shape and colour, only to find out when picked that it contains a bite mark. Apples are one of the favourite foods of deer, of which there are many in the country. Moose, while not so prolific, are apple eaters as well. The animals tend to eat the apples lower on the tree so inevitably the best apples are found a little higher up and are more of a challenge to reach.

By late October, many of the apples that once hung so proudly on the tree have fallen to the ground. While most of those apples begin to turn brown within days, others will provide a much-needed meal for the animals who enjoy them. The remaining apples decompose, returning rich nutrients to the soil. Some may even be gathered for food for livestock offering animals like pigs, goats and cows a healthy, sweet treat.

It is interesting to note that apples do well in the freezer. Each year I pick enough apples to bake several apple pies and a few apple crisps. I simply peel them, slice them and place them in freezer bags and then into the deep fridge. When mid-winter rolls around, I reach for a bag of frozen apple slices and bake a cottage apple pie.

Sherry Mulley MacDonald is an author and columnist. She is a lifelong resident of Cape Breton.