A New Discovery and Fall Tradition in the Making

Honey Crisps - Ripe for the Picking!

After finishing work in NYC, we had a four day drive awaiting us - getting from Long Island, NY to San Antonio, TX wasn't looking like an easy drive in the truck, nor was it something I had planned on doing in this lifetime - but then again, who ever thought I would be touring the U.S. in a food truck?  We ended up making the drive enjoyable with some nice stops along the route (more on that soon), but first, we made a fantastic pit stop in PA for some R&R with Luke's parents and a quick visit with his Grandma Sally.  It was just the right amount of "real-life normalcy" (if that is even a thing) before hitting the road for the final push of our tour.

Grandma Sally and Luke

Our first stop in Pennsylvania was to see Luke's grandma Sally.  Our visit was too short, only a few hours, but we were able to make it happen which is what mattered.  We had lunch and chatted with Sally for a while, and took a short walk for her to check out our truck.  We also stumbled upon a great old fashion car, so we checked that out, too! Last summer we were fortunate to spend weeks upon weeks with Grandma Sally, but we were just happy to be able to see her this summer at all.

Classic Car Spotting

Lucas sitting on "his" steps

Then on to Milan, PA to see Bill and Sue.  We had a great few days with Luke's family and enjoyed a trip to Friendsville, gourmet meals compliments of chef Sue, a visit from Anneliza and Adam, and
education on bee keeping.  We also took a closer look at Sue's beehives - where my face ended up on the wrong side of a bee stinger (whoops)!  It turns out bees are more aggressive in the fall since they are working hard to pack in the honey before winter arrives.  We were sitting about seven feet from the fence but it was still too close and in the line of fire where the bees were entering and exiting one hive.  Lesson learned.

The highlight of our stay was when I discovered my new favorite fall activity.  I have always loved fall and welcome the season with open arms to breathe in the crisper air, create pumpkin dishes of every variety and surround myself with my favorite earth-tone colors.  However, never have I had a chance to partake in the best fall event of all...APPLE PICKING.  Well, while in PA, Sue introduced us to the joys of picking apples.

We went to Russell farms near Vestal, NY where they have 20 acres of trees spotted with every variety
of apple I could imagine and then some.  The apples looked so beautiful hanging from the branches, in some cases so heavy that the trees needed significant supports to stay standing.  Apples, I learned, reach peak ripeness at various times depending on the type of apple, and when we went picking the farmer recommended McIntosh, Ginger Golds, and (drum rolllllllllll) Honey Crisps!  I was ecstatic.

We spent the next 1.5 hours trying to find the best looking apples to put in our three 1/2 bushel bags and take home.  We admired the variety of colors, tasted some apples as we picked from the trees and pretended like we knew how to select the best of the best.  We were also amazed at the way a leaf shape could be "stenciled" on an apple if the leaf blocked the sun just right, and how sun kissed apples were colored so differently from their shaded neighbors.

Leaf Stencils

After making our way from McIntosh rows to the Ginger Golds, we headed over to the Honey Crisps.  One bite into those apples fresh from the tree confirmed why I am obsessed.  Plus, they sold for 1.49 per pound, double that of the others, yet this was a steal compared to store prices which are insanely expensive. Oh man, they are good!  

Once we had filled our bushels, we meandered through the rows of colorful vegetables, apple butters, and other farm fresh goods.  We picked up some sweet corn fresh out of the field to have with dinner, checked out and headed home.  The next day, we also helped Sue pick clean one of three apple trees right in their backyard.  They had some great apples right there and we filled three laundry baskets full of apples just from that one tree!  I would say we made out like kings.

I love colorful veggies!

Our picked apples

Sue is going to be busy making apple sauces and ciders to keep for the fall and winter.  Lucas and I will be busy eating up the of of apples we took with us for the road trip.  Either way, we discovered a fun fall activity that I plan on doing again when we get back to Colorado, once I do some research on apple picking locale in the Boulder area (pending flood damage...yikes!).

Yummy!

There is just so much more satisfaction in eating something you picked from the tree yourself.  Hence, why some day I would love to have our own garden.  In the meantime, when I get back to a real kitchen, I plan on indulging myself by making some of the following apple recipes - hopefully with hand picked apples!

Apples, Apples, Apples!

Easy Skillet Apple Pie - It is easy and amazing!  Favorite apple pie I have ever made.
Chopped Winter Salad (Squash, Apples and Feta) - Made it already, and loved it!
Or this salad from one of my favorite food blogs...
Fig, Apple and Gorgonzola Flatbread -  If only I could get fresh figs from the Hutcheson's fig tree!
Apple Pie Pull Apart Bread - This looks like something I could go for on a Sunday morning
BBQ Apple Pizza - Holy Smokes!  This sounds out of this world.  With fresh pizza dough...mmmmm!