The Apple Triumph

Victory is ours at last. We've talked for several years about wanting to fully take advantage of the U-pick fruit season, but never accomplished it... until now. The Big Five are ours. We still have blueberries and raspberries in our freezer, as well as a whole mess of apples, to prove it. Shortly after returning to the US, we went out with our good friends the Rockes to an orchard, where we picked our half-bushel (seen in picture) as well as enjoyed the obligatory cider and super yummy doughnuts.

Rachel often laughs because I once told her that I didn't remember ever seeing apples actually growing on trees until coming up to Michigan several years ago. Lesson #1 learned from my time in apple country: I used to think there were only about 3 different apples: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. Maybe I had heard of Braeburns. Oh no, my friends, there are countless varieties and strains of this luscious fruit. Lesson #2: Apples are generally divided into pie (or baking) apples and eating apples, with some special varieties being quite nice for both (such as the Idareds we got this time). The exception is the Red Delicious, which is a purely aesthetic fruit (Children, I plead with you, give your teacher a tastier variety!), fit for nothing except to be thrown outside into the darkness, to be trampled underfoot, where there is darkness and gnashing of teeth, like salt that has lost its saltiness, etc...

So gather your fruits while ye may. Here's a nice website for finding a U-pick farm near you, sent on to us by our good friend Deb.