Apples Apples and more Apples

Definitely a sign that fall is right around the corner! Cool crisp mornings, light breezes and... The Apple Orchard is open! We "discovered" the local Apple Orchard last fall and have been regulars ever since! I say "discovered" because John has lived in this house for about 9 years now and the orchard is only 2 miles away! He never knew it was there before last fall when we saw one of their ads on a local coupon shopper! They offer ready picked apples as well as pick-your own! We always do the pick your own because you can't beat the price! Last weekend when we were there we picked almost 60 pounds of apples and it was only $28!!

This place is awesome! I can't even keep track of all the different varieties of apples that they have! It seems like each week when we go, a different variety is ready to be picked! They just opened for the pick your own last weekend and we had our choice of Mac's and Cortland's. We actually picked some of each. Darrin loves being able to go up to the tree and pick an apple, wipe it off and eat it right away! He always had to eat one whole apple before he starts picking.

It says something about a business, if when you go there, they recognize you! The one lady that was always there last year was working again and remembered us from last year! And this is a busy orchard, so for her to remember her customers from one year to the next really says something! When you walk in the door, they are ready to help! You tell them what kind apples you like and they will point you in the right direction to find what you want!

This past weekend Patty was in town for the day with her daughter, granddaughter and her granddaughter's friend. She thought that the girls would enjoy picking their own apples, so we decided to meet there Saturday morning! The girls had a ball! And Darrin had just as much fun helping them find the perfect apples and fill their bags. I was not able to stay the entire time, but John and Darrin stayed to help them! By the time they were done, they had over 100 pounds of apples! Yes, they were picking for 3 different families, but that's a lot of apples!

I now have other friends of mine from the Weight Watchers message boards that want to go to the apple orchard too! We are all trying to find a day where we can do a family day at the apple orchard so we all can get together and go pick apples!

I think with all the business that WE are bringing to the orchard, we deserve some free apples or something!!!

I have been going through all my cookbooks and online to find new apple recipes too! I have my favorite apple salad that I make all the time, but sometimes you just need something different....

baked apples
apple crisp
apple stuffed pork tenderloin
apple bars
apple pie

man, I could go on forever! If anyone has a favorite apple recipe that they would like to share, let me know!!!