When I was
substitute teaching in art class the other day, the second grade
teacher walked by with a large pan.
"Would you like some apple crisp?" she
asked.
It looked delicious so I agreed it would
be great for my lunch dessert.
"Did your class go apple picking?" I
asked.
She explained that several of the primary
classes took a field trip to a nearby orchard and picked apples.
Then the youngsters in her class learned how to make apple
crisp.
This is apple picking time of year for
families and school students. If you don't have time to
pick your own, you'll find fresh apples in stores and at farm
stands.
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| An apple orchard ready for
harvest |
Apples Near and Far
If you live where apples are grown and
picked in the fall, you might travel to nearby orchards and farm
stands, where you can pick and purchase apples for your own use.
This can be an exciting outing as it was for the school children
I work with.
Take your children for a family outing.
Find an orchard where you can experience the fun of picking your
own apples. Often these orchards have farm stands where
you can purchase other fruits and vegetables. They also
may have snack stands where you can sample tasty goodies.
We took my mother-in-law on an autumn
drive in apple growing areas around her home. She enjoyed
the ride through the colorful countryside, stopping at the farm
stand to purchase apples she could use for applesauce and apple
pie. Then we topped off the outing with a meal at her
favorite restaurant.
Apples During Your Travels
My husband and I live in New England, but
we have enjoyed the sights of apples growing in other parts of
the country as we travel in autumn. Throughout New York
State, in western Colorado, in Washington and Oregon we've found
fresh apples while meandering through these areas.
Nowadays you can check online to find
places in your travels where apples are grown. State
chambers of commerce sites often let you know if apple
picking is an activity there.
Apples of Childhood
Apple picking was part of my childhood on
the farm. Even
though Father was a dairy farmer, he had a desire for growing
apples and eventually developed an orchard with 500 trees.
This meant many autumn hours for our family on the
hilltop orchard picking this fruit after school and on
weekends.
I particularly remember the view from
this orchard that faced the west.
On clear days, we could see the Catskill Mountains beyond
the Hudson River of New York State.
Here Father grew McIntosh apples, Golden Delicious, Red
Delicious, Cortlands and Baldwins.
No matter where I obtain apples, they never seem
as tasty as the ones grown on our farm.
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| A few varieties of apples |
Apple History
Apples have been around for 20 centuries.
Even then man had knowledge of the "art of budding and
grafting" fruit trees.
Apples grew in China, Egypt and Europe.
Some of the old varieties I recall from
childhood, or remember my parents mentioning from theirs, were
Baldwins, Johathans, Gravensteins, Pippins, Greenings, Northern
Spy, and Spitzenburg.
My grandparents had several apple trees on their farm
(for their own use, not to sell commercially as Father did) and
they consisted of the "old time" varieties.
The lore of apples and apple picking
provide interesting stories. Also, look up the story of
Johnny Appleseed and follow his course across the country as you
travel.
(c)2104Mary Emma Allen
Mary Emma Allen researches and writes
from her NH home and during her travels. She also
writes books for children and is celebrating her 50th year as a
culinary and travel writer. E-mail: me.allen@juno.com
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