Can’t fall asleep because of a weird curiosity, is it possible to dry unripe apples that are super starchy and powder them to make bread like how they make bread from potato starch? Would it be possible to breed higher starch apples?
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@KS_razerback There are a few videos on YouTube of people using vinegar and baking soda to see if soil is acidic or basic. I searched “measuring soil ph” and the first video for me was " DIY Soil pH Test - Garden Quickie Episode 114" by The Ripe Tomato Farms where basically 1) soil is mixed with water and then 2) vinegar and baking soda are added and the reaction is observed to gauge the ph of the soil. It seems like you get a rough sense of the ph by doing this.
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@KS_razerback I think that the typical potato bread still uses a certain amount of normal flour, so the potato (in some recipes mashed potato) is mixed with the normal flour to make the bread. If you were to use a potato bread recipe and instead of using potato used a high starch apple powder, I think you could definitely make a bread, but you would need to consider the moisture balance because you are adding another dried ingredient. If you experimented, I’m sure you could find a good balance. It would be possible to breed higher starch apples because it is a trait that you could select for. You would need to find apples that seem to be higher starch and then select offspring that show that trait until you get where you want to be.
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Most of the potato breads we have, use potato flour which is pretty much the same as dehydrated potato mash. It looks the same as instant mashed potatoes.
But, there were(still are) fast-bletting sweet pears that would be dried and then ground into a sticky powder to be used as cake fillings or mixed into the dough. Depending on the ratio you could get a relatively spongy cake or something resembling what the Brits call flap-jack.
Apple powder,which is a byproduct of juice pressing is often added to cakes, brownies or wherever malt would be used (like dark or barley bread). More of an additional flavour and fiber component. But I guess, a high-starch apple powder would bind even more moisture than the regular one and you’d end up with a heavy brick with a wobble…
I think, if there was a way to get a reasonable amount of pure starch from starchy apples, the Chinese would be using it and there would be a desert made from apple-starch noodles.
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I’ve never had a Seckel Pear,but have read,that they are sweet.A local market has them,so a few were picked up.
They are very hard and am wondering,if they should be kept inside a refrigerator or on the counter to soften?
I think they’re OK firm, but I like them melting better.
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I came across a recipe for apple bread by Joan Morgan that basically replaces all the liquid in the bread with cooked apple sauce, skins and all. It’s just flour, apples and yeast. I’ve tried it and it’s surprisingly good, though I couldn’t really taste the apple content at all. I suppose the apples are used for their acid, sugar, fibre and water.
Dried apple flour bread sounds like a lot of work! I expect it would be very dense as there is no gluten. Some kind of flatbread, maybe?
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Can you spray neem oil on Pear and Plum trees to prevent the sluggy sawfly larva?
I’m trying to stay away from Neem oil,as it has damaged leaves.Insecticidal soap,horticultural oil and Spinosad,used when the larva are young,can be effective.
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A quote from Michael Phillips: Caution: pears are sensitive and can have a phytotoxic response to neem
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For ours, I stick them in the frig. Then bring them out on counter for a few days. Best when yellow with red blush and tops near stem are slightly soft to touch. We have a lot of variation- from pretty good to amazing. Since they are small, we usually put in a green salad with blue cheese, Craisins, and pecans.
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How long are they kept in the refrigerator,until turning yellow?
Let them ripen on the counter. They put them in the fridge to stall the ripening process so they don’t have all of them ripe at the same time.
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I don’t think they turn yellow in the frig. More like you can save the yellow ones in the frig, like Robert says, or you can take green ones out of frig and let them turn yellow on counter. If you have enough, maybe try both ways?
I know some pears require some time in frig to ripen (for starches to turn to sugar), but I think Seckel can ripen on the tree (or counter).
Here’s a relevant thread with some of the real GF pear experts: Pear Picking Question
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What are some tomato varieties that can stand on their own without staking? Other than cherry.
Nova tomatoes do not require (much) support. I grew them this year and I plan to to grow them next year too. They are early, Roma-types that continue to output tomatoes throughout the season. They probably do not grow more than 1.5-2 feet tall. No problems with diseases for me.
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General question for the forum: I can get nice 1-1.5" caliper trees from the local higher-quality nursery, but only in the varieties they bulk order. Where are y’all getting the less common varieties? Mostly grafting from scionwood?
Say I’m after a Potomac Pear and can’t get it local, is there a way to get a larger caliper tree? Seems like mail order/shipping is just not going to be an option for a tree that big.
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Bobwellsnursery
Has been great to me. Don’t remember the prices too well but i think each one was about 50-65$ last year altogether with shipping. Like Grandpa’s Orchard was 39.95 but shipping bumped each plant to about 60$ which is still a great price from what I’ve seen.
Do not buy from starkbros.com or you’ll get tiny whips.
Example:
Stark’s 144 or 124, forgot which, Blushing star
Vs Grandpa’s Orchard 60$ Blushing Star
Grandpa’s Orchard sells bare root but they’re very healthy bare roots which started to grow tiny roots before it even got to me.
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Replied above but couldn’t tag you for some reason
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You can graft the cultivars you like to your tree to increase the cultivars and pollinators
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