The North Idaho Front Porch (Eagle, Clark Fork: fireplaces, diet, upscale)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Thanks, Reziac!
Report from CFF'S Front Porch: the nights are getting chilly! The aspen leaves are starting to turn! The CF market is back on winter time. Morning walks with the dogs require a jacket now. How delightful. Just like where I grew up.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Hey, a question: we're about to plant a few fruit trees and bushes. We want an apple tree that produces crisp, early-fall apples. Any suggestions?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Hey, a question: we're about to plant a few fruit trees and bushes. We want an apple tree that produces crisp, early-fall apples. Any suggestions?

No matter what variety of apple you choose, it is going to be much better grown at home and picked when ripe. So you can't lose. Look for apples that have disease resistance and that ripen early so you can get apples before they freeze.

I've got apple trees here in North Idaho, but not old enough for fruit. In Central Oregon, where is is just as cold but less precipitation, I grew yellow delicious, red delicious, gala, zestar, honey crisp, and granny smith, which ripens late and probably won't work here.

I also grew, but do not recommend, Arkansas Black which isn't worth the effort and yellow transparent, which is an awful apple and went into dog food.

Zestar is an exceptionally good early apple. It will be off the trees before the freezing weather. Yellow delicious is excellent when grown at home. It is nothing like store bought and it is good fresh and it makes excellent pies, getting tender but holding its shape. Red delicious will surprise you when home grown. Try for a red delicious with as little red as possible and that will be an earlier and better variety.

I also have (ahem) one that shall remain nameless and it is doing well here, but won't have apples for another couple of years.

For grapes, I recommend Canadice.

Pears: comice, bosc, moonglow, seckle. all are good pears.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Thanks for great apple advice! We visited the local nursery yesterday and found out that we need two different varieties for pollination. So many choices!

[EyeOnMadisonStreet]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

No matter what variety of apple you choose, it is going to be much better grown at home and picked when ripe. So you can't lose. Look for apples that have disease resistance and that ripen early so you can get apples before they freeze.

I've got apple trees here in North Idaho, but not old enough for fruit. In Central Oregon, where is is just as cold but less precipitation, I grew yellow delicious, red delicious, gala, zestar, honey crisp, and granny smith, which ripens late and probably won't work here.

I also grew, but do not recommend, Arkansas Black which isn't worth the effort and yellow transparent, which is an awful apple and went into dog food.

Zestar is an exceptionally good early apple. It will be off the trees before the freezing weather. Yellow delicious is excellent when grown at home. It is nothing like store bought and it is good fresh and it makes excellent pies, getting tender but holding its shape. Red delicious will surprise you when home grown. Try for a red delicious with as little red as possible and that will be an earlier and better variety.

I also have (ahem) one that shall remain nameless and it is doing well here, but won't have apples for another couple of years.

For grapes, I recommend Canadice.

Pears: comice, bosc, moonglow, seckle. all are good pears.

Secret apples! I'll definitely stay tuned to find out what they are! I suppose you've only told those with a "need to know" about them? And would they be in an "undisclosed location"?

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Boy Howdy, we're learning lessons about staying in NID after Labor Day! Our solar panels don't give us enough juice to last the evening. Last night I had to cook dinner by the light of battery lanterns. Time to fire up the generator! Our woodstove is belching smoke into the room, apparently because the chimney is cold (no obstruction), so we have to heat up the stove before heating up the stove! But it's all part of learning to be fall-season residents! Baby steps. Among the many plusses: parking is available everywhere in Sandpoint! A Golden Eagle was perched in a tall, dead pine tree right in front of our greatroom windows this morning. We have deer parading all over our meadow. And the dogs behave like ranch dogs now, keeping watch from the front porch.

[Mister Torgue]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Boy Howdy, we're learning lessons about staying in NID after Labor Day! Our solar panels don't give us enough juice to last the evening. Last night I had to cook dinner by the light of battery lanterns. Time to fire up the generator! Our woodstove is belching smoke into the room, apparently because the chimney is cold (no obstruction), so we have to heat up the stove before heating up the stove! But it's all part of learning to be fall-season residents! Baby steps. Among the many plusses: parking is available everywhere in Sandpoint! A Golden Eagle was perched in a tall, dead pine tree right in front of our greatroom windows this morning. We have deer parading all over our meadow. And the dogs behave like ranch dogs now, keeping watch from the front porch.

Oooh a golden eagle! Jealous. Do they fly this far north (Boundary Co)? Several bald eagle sightings here at the homestead but no goldens...

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

........ Our woodstove is belching smoke into the room, apparently because the chimney is cold (no obstruction), so we have to heat up the stove before heating up the stove! ..........

If your house is well weatherized, you probably have unequal pressure between outside and inside. Try opening a door when you light the wood stove. That will equalize the pressure and let the smoke go up the chimney. It's worth a try.

When you installed the woodstove, you did get a fresh air feed into the fire box, right?

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by Mister Torgue

Oooh a golden eagle! Jealous. Do they fly this far north (Boundary Co)? Several bald eagle sightings here at the homestead but no goldens...

The Goldens nest along the south bank of the Clark Fork River east of CF, and probably other places. They fly over our place regularly--I saw three this morning.

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

If your house is well weatherized, you probably have unequal pressure between outside and inside. Try opening a door when you light the wood stove. That will equalize the pressure and let the smoke go up the chimney. It's worth a try.

When you installed the woodstove, you did get a fresh air feed into the fire box, right?

Whatever our contractor did when he installed the woodstove, it performed beautifully all through the winter while he was working on the house. No problem. We called Kuma (the manufacturer), and they suggested opening windows to equal the pressure. You know your woodstoves, OWS!

[Mister Torgue]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

The Goldens nest along the south bank of the Clark Fork River east of CF, and probably other places. They fly over our place regularly--I saw three this morning.

Wonder why I don't see them? Less population of them versus bald eagles?