Apples for a Pumpkin
-
- September
- 18
It turns out that picking apples is really, really easy. Too easy. I have a whole bushel’s worth in my foyer to prove it. And do you know who picked the majority of those apples? Pumpkin! Yup, a 2-year-old can be an able apple-picker, especially at a kid-friendly orchard planted with dwarf trees. This Sunday, we went up to Mead Orchards in Dutchess County with my husband’s two sisters, their children and one of their husband’s and my mother- and father-in-law. One sister lives up in the Albany area, so Tivoli was a nice halfway point. It was a sunny day, the apples were red and cheerful and it was just so darn easy to keep filling those bags!
We also had a great picnic lunch on tables steps away from the trees  I got to try out this recipe for “Cooler-Pressed Sandwiches” I’d been saving from the July issue of Cookie magazine. I made all three: Tuna and Artichoke; Mozzarella and Peppers; and Ham and Corn Relish. They were easy to make and the flavor combination gave the sandwiches the feeling of a special treat. The only fault was my own. I used ciabatta instead of the recommended baguette and the sandwiches didn’t get as “pressed” as they might have with a squishier loaf. My favorite was the tuna fish and artichoke. I made it with tuna packed in olive oil and squeezed a whole fresh lemon. The flavors were so bright.
In short, it was a terrific family day. I highly recommend apple picking with kids of all ages. And there’s no need to drive all the way up to Dutchess. Check out this site from the New York Apple Association. You can click on a county and see listings for “pick your own” farms. Local farms with Web sites include Salingers Orchard in Brewster, Dr. Davies Farm in Congers and Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown Heights. So, get picking! Just don’t come home with a bushel if you don’t know what you’re going to do with them! (My colleague and food editor extraordinaire, Liz Johnson, has kindly posted a notice on her Small Bites blog asking for helpful recipes. I already made a pie and a Waldorf salad. I bought pork chops for tonight’s dinner and will be scanning the Web for a good apple and pork recipe. I only have about 60 apples to go!)
Here are some photos of our day of fun to inspire you to get out and pick your own apples!
Here is Pumpkin picking her first apples:
She even put them in the bag herself:
There’s nothing like the taste of an apple right off the tree. Here is my niece, Samantha, sampling a Cortland:
My sister-in-law, Stephanie, relaxes around the picnic table while her daughter, Rachel, enjoys a fresh-picked apple:
One of the best parts of a day in the country? Taking the time to smell the clover:
Here’s the haul in the trunk ready to come home:
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 1:56 am by Julie Moran Alterio.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
Conklin Farms apple picking season started as well.
Thank you for your excellent report on apple picking. As president of the NY Apple Association, Inc our job is to promote and advertise NY apples. Your report is the best form of advertising that we could have. I hope you will visit our web site at http://www.nyapplecountry.com to learn more about NY apples, places to visit across the state and all the health and nutritional information about apples. While you are out and about,, don’t forget tohe fresh NY apple cider, NY Cider is safe and delicious , as well as good for you. It is the whole apple in a glass. This message is brought to you by “New York Apple Growers, Millions of Local Branches Near you!”
wow
its very reasonable article.
Nice post.
realy gj
thx