Apple of our eye

We decided to try to pick apples today. I've been wanting to pick apples for a while, but it kept getting put off. So today we had our directions to 'you pick Virignia apples' and headed off toward Roanoke. Turns out our first stop was a bust (pre-picked apples. As if! We came out for good family apple pick'in fun and that's that) so we drove up over the Blue Ridge parkway to another orchard. I haven't been on the parkway in years - and it was such a flash back. I expected at any moment to come upon either my geology classmates crawling over an outcrop or my cross country team mates running...reality check was finding a nice pull off with good bushes so my three year old could go pee. The fall colors have barely started (we were too focused on apples to stop for pictures). So we arrived at the Peaks of Otter orchard and winery (we aren't sure about the grapes - the wine appeared to be more of the wine cooler variety) but they had apples! Only one variety still on the trees, though, 'little yellow ones.' There were lots of prepicked apples in crates - but we came for apple pickin - so we bought our little half peck prepaid bag and headed off in search of apples. Luckily the trees were still full and the fruit was low. After we tasted an apples and proclaimed it very sweet and perfect for sauce and baking, Elena said, 'Apple sauce?' I said, 'yes, we can take these and make apple sauce.' She started jumping up and down and yelling like she won the lotto - 'But momma I LOVE apple sauce!!!!!!!!' For our fruit bat, it was in fact like winning the lotto. Apples are so much fun to pick, you fill up your bags so quickly. Then we headed back and picked out a bushel of apples from the crates and bought 4 gallons of real apple cider. Not that pasterized crap, as Jake says. What a bargain, too! I bought a half gallon at the farmers market yesterday (not certain we would find the 'real stuff again') for $7, but we could get a gallon for $5. They all went into the freezer for later this winter. The drive back was a bit long (there was a wreck on 81). But Elena finally fell asleep. It's not as relaxing or as much exercise as riding the train and walking in the Netherlands, but it was nice. Now, I've got to read about how to preserve apples!



Elena and I watch the bees eat the droppers. We bought some honey in the store. She was facinated with the bees and kept saying 'but bees don't like to share their honey...right?'


How cool can you look while picking apples?


See, family fun.