My perfect fall day
Posted: October 22, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: apples, Boston, Brendan, fall 6 CommentsFall is just the BEST! It always reminds me how much I love running because the weather is perfect, and it is so entertaining to watch the world around you transform in a matter of days. I think I have been especially observant this year because I’ve been so excited to experience my first New England fall. Brendan and I have been wanting to go apple picking for a few weeks now, but this weekend was the first time we actually had some time for it! On our way out the door, I was pleasantly surprised to find this lovely gem in the mailbox…
YAY! I have become a SUPER loyal Starbucks drinker on my walk to work every morning, and I use my gold card every time! I think this is my third free drink. I get SO excited!
We drove an hour outside Boston to Honey Pot Orchards in Stow, MA. The drive was wonderful because we drove through a bunch of smaller old towns with gorgeous old churches and wonderful foliage.
I’m not sure we really became expert apple pickers. We definitely decided that we had gotten our money’s worth by the time we left because we dropped/threw a lot of apples. OOPS.
We didn’t throw ALL of those apples on the ground… lol I swear!
It was such a beautiful crisp fall day…
The ladders were super sketch just leaning on the branches, but I was pumped… until I got a few steps up… and then I was shaking.
Of course, the apples at the top, just a few feet away from the ladder always looked better than the ones we could reach…
We ended up with 19 apples in a bag + 1 apple eaten on the job = 20 apples (the accounting literature says we don’t count the apples we threw on the ground) and a fun fall outing for only $15. Great deal!
What a beautiful place! I can’t wait to come back next year, but right now I have to go figure out what to do with all these apples!!!! Any great EASY ideas?
Daily Dose of Running 
Fun and scenic! Nothing like chunky apple sauce cooked up with a little cinnamon and cardamom. You can freeze it and then remember that fabulous fall day when you eat it later in the spring or something… Of course, you can’t go wrong with good old apple pie! Have fun.
Thanks for commenting! I’m thinking about making apple pie with an interesting twist! We don’t have any pie pans right now. Brendan really likes applesauce, so that would be good. I’ve never made it before, but I’ve read about it a ton. Can’t wait to see you guys!
Looks like a fabulous day! What kind of apples are they? Bailey sweets? Captain Kidds? (Not sure, see http://www.orangepippin.com/) Here’s another reason not to try too hard for the ones on top – apples can get sunburned and lots of the higher ones get more or less ruined that way. I say core ’em 2/3rds, fill the cavity with little red-hot candies and maple syrup, them bake ’em ’til they’re soft enough to squeeze, serve with french vanilla ice cream, take a photo for a future apple dessert blog, and eat. Two per person is my recommended serving size, but three’s OK if the apples are “small.” (Marc writing on Alex’s computer in West Virginia, maybe I can find a u-pick apple place around here?)
WOW… what a crazy comprehensive website about apples… We picked McIntosh apples because Brendan would have nothing to do with any other variety. In fact, I wasn’t allowed to look into orchards that didn’t have them listed. Your dessert idea sounds SUPER WEIRD… and spicy! I think I’m going to make apple pies inside of apples. I’m so glad you are thinking like a blogger! I already took a picture of my first apple recipe, so you’ll have to wait for that one first! Apple picking was fun with Brendan, but it would have been peaceful and wonderful alone, as well.
I am 100% with you on favorite fall running time, not only is it a feast for the eyes, but I think the air is so clean and crisp-feels so good when it hits your lungs. If only they could bottle some of that up and sell it at Starbucks right? And I too just went apple picking with the kiddos a few weekends ago, it was not as much fun as you guys make it look. Next time maybe I need to trade my short kids in for a tall boyfriend? Easiest thing to do with apples I think is make crisps, or dip them in carmel. Luv your guts, and miss them too!
Miss you, too! There were lots of kids at the orchard, and I thought it would be SOOO stressful with kids. It was scary enough when I was going up the ladder. I would have FREAKED out if I was in charge of any small child going up those things… We just bought sugar so I can make some homemade caramel!!