After Apple Picking
We drove over to the east side of the mountains today to see the fall color in the pass and get some fresh-picked apples and pears straight from the orchard. We were a little early – color hadn’t really turned yet and the pears weren’t entirely ready – but it was still a beautiful drive.
Maggie takes a break among the fall leaves.
Dropping down into orchard country.
Apples still on the tree – these are huge Sekai-Ichi variety, excellent eating but not ready yet.
Our favorite fruit stand, Prey’s, a few miles east of Leavenworth on Highway 2.
Endless apples! They have dozens of kinds of apples, and the late varieties aren’t yet picked and available. We picked up 10 lbs each of Tsuguro, Granny Smith and Macintosh, plus some early Red Bartlett pears.
The squash displays were beautiful – plus, winter squash is yummy even if it is a lot of work.
I’m not sure if the bunches of dried peppers were decorative or for cooking/eating.
These sunflowers were really beautiful against the deep blue sky.
This picture has nothing to do with apple orchards – but the stark hillside and feathery clouds in the evening light were a really striking combination.
The lens flare is horrible on this shot, but I still like it. It was taken from the moving car, top down, as we drove into the mountains, directly toward the evening sun.
Note: After Apple Picking is a poem, by Robert Frost.
September 28th, 2008
I like the flared sun picture. And all that food looks yummy.
September 28th, 2008
I agree with Vince about the flare picture–it looks good.
I’m suddenly in the mood for an apple turnover. Or for apple pie. Or stewed apples with lots of cinnamon. Or…
September 28th, 2008
I love the lens flare picture.
And I’ve got bags of apples waiting to be made into pies and such–or at least to fit into my refrigerator.
We still don’t have much leaf color–but it’s on its way!
September 28th, 2008
Hm…apple butter!
September 28th, 2008
I think I’m going to wait until next weekend to make apple butter – and the weekend following for pear butter. It takes all day to cook, and has to be started fairly early in the morning or I’m up cleaning my canning stuff at midnight.
September 28th, 2008
I’m testing this pear butter recipe on a single small batch – enough to make one jar of finished butter. I think it might be too gingery/spicy, even though it’s just started simmering down it’s so gingery it’s hard to taste the pear flavor.