Thursday 26 September 2013

LIFE: Orchards and Apple Picking

Apple Picking 2 Apple Picking 6 Apple Picking 1 Apple Picking 5 Apple Picking 4

Growing up I climbed trees, a lot. It was part of the deal in autumn with old apple trees in the garden and summer was spent ducking from falling heavy apples while using the trees for shade. I was raised on apple pies and crumbles, our apple trees producing huge cooking apples that were stewed and stored away in the freezer to see us through the year. 

Along with the popularity of cider mills in the US, are orchards, but with the ease of just popping down to the store to grab a bag of them, I wasn't expecting there to be over an hour wait to grab a bag to go apple picking when we popped down to the orchard (the same trip we went raspberry picking). Each week different apple varieties are on offer - Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Cortland to Michigan Spy (a cooking apple) to Gala and for $17 we headed out with our 1/2 bushel bag - they suggest it's large enough for 40 apples (I think we topped that) like I child I was just as happy getting a tractor ride around the orchards and left the apple tree climbing to Joe, who like me as a child, appeared to be in his element. 

As I write this the delicious smell of caramelizing brown sugar dribbling over piles of Golden Delicious baking in a Dutch Apple Cake is drifting through the apartment. Just what I get baked and canned with 20 or so pounds of apples I'll let you know in a couple of weeks. 

3 comments:

  1. ohh I´ve never picked apples.. it looks awesome! :D

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    Replies
    1. It's a lot of fun, more then I had imagined!

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  2. i think that picking fruit and picking out pumpkins is much bigger in other countries then here! i like our much more the States seem to celebrate the change of the season then we do. maybe you could make some apple and cinnamon muffins? my favourite!

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