Autumn Bucket List: Apple Picking

One of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. There's like a 0.01% chance that it's NOT my favorite. And each year, I go a little overboard. I mean, last year we spent about $120 on the trip...but that's not overkill. Right? I mean, I have applesauce and apple pie filling ready to go for months afterwards. That cannot be a bad thing.

This year, Ryan put his foot down. We would go in, pick just enough, and we get out. He didn't say it out loud, but there was a "before you get crazy and spend $100 on apples again" in there. 

The orchard by us grows about thirty different types of apples. Our plan? Macintosh. Jonamac. Greening. They were all in season and our top three favorites. They also happen to be the perfect combo together. The macintosh provide that iconic apple flavor. The jonamacs are the same apple-in-your-face flavor but harder than your traditionally soft macs. Then there's the greening, which are tart and add the kick to any apple filling. 

Look at how picture perfect this was. It's basically impossible not to go overboard picking and eating them right off the tree. 

After we found our favorites (and picked conservatively) we thought we should get a couple 20oz apples. What are 20oz apples you may ask? They're gigantic two pound apples that have little to no apple flavor. It makes my heart sad. But they make good filler. Unfortunately, I couldn't justify getting some after trying one and it being less than stellar. I couldn't. I just couldn't. 

Thankfully though, there was another crop of apples ripe for picking. Blondees. These apples are winners. They're like a ginger apple-pear flavor cross. And they're going to be decadent in my apple filling. 

Overall, we picked 29 jonamacs, 17 blondees, 16 macs, and 13 greening for a total of 35.10 lbs of apples. Roughly $48.79 at $1.39 a pound. A definite decline from last year's haul. However, in no way does this dampen my excitement for this autumn apple season and all the recipes I can't wait to try! 

Happy apple picking!

What recipes are you cooking with this year? Are you sticking to tried and true or trying something new?

Wonderful Wednesdays - Apple Picking at Bowman Orchards

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go apple picking. One, because I love eating apples and two, I like spending cool, autumn days in the sun enjoying the crispness of the air. It's even better spending it with those your love. Our haul this year was 40+ pounds of the fruit, a half gallon of apple cider, half a dozen apple cider donuts, and an apple fritter. I probably would've bought a pint of apple cider ice cream (to go with the delicious pastries you'll see on Friday!) but I thought...better not. Here's some pictures of our adventure this past Sunday:

Bowman Orchards in Rexford, NY

we picked jonamacs, greening, macintosh, honey crisp, and twenty ounce

I only ate four apples on premises

the hubbs

our haul

that was the line of cars waiting to drive into the orchard

Are you planning on going apple picking this year? Have you already? What's your favorite kind? I love the pink lady apples. They're perfect for lunches and recipes. Just another wonderful thing about fall!