Apples

 It is no big secret, FALL is my favorite time of year.  

Football returns,  the breezes kick in, temperatures cool, the days get shorter (not my favorite part), evenings are cool enough for snuggling, sweatshirts return and the fall colors are vibrant.

Fall in Oregon is a bit short for my liking, but not here.  In the DC area we can enjoy the fall colors and weather for almost 2 months.  That is two whole months of soaking up everything fall has to offer.

One of my favorite activities is to go apple picking. It has been a few years since I've picked apples and now that the boys are a bit older it was the perfect time to pick a Maryland farm. 

The little farm Holly and I took the boys to was not so small and perfectly fall.  Larriland Farms is surrounded by rolling hills,  a small lake, lots of trees and beautiful farm land.  They started in 1973 and their primary focus was to produce yummy fruits and veggies for you to pick.  

Ariel view of Larriland, from their website

Larriland has 25.5 acres with 27 different varieties of apples, each with its own peak season.

On our visit we strolled up and down a couple of isles picking Crimson Crisp and Autumn Crisp apples. It didn't take long before we had filled two giant bags with yummy apples.

The boys loved picking apples that were low to the ground and easy to pluck.  Cutie E enjoyed showing off his prizes and filling the bag.  Cutie O wasn't sure at first as his little hands didn't always fit around the apple.

Some of the apples were so big that I couldn't use my apple slicer.

Both varities were sweet and juicy and if stored properly can last up to 6-8 weeks.  WOW!

We have eaten quite a few, but the majority are apple sauce.  I did have a little help, but Cutie O didn't see why he had to cut the apple if he could just eat it.

My mom taught me to just chop up the apple and throw everything in.  In the process of sending the cooked apples through the sieve the skin and seeds will be left behind.  She said that you wasted less apple this way.  I have followed mom's process for years.

The pleasant surprise this year was that the Crimson Crisp apples deep red skin color turned the cooked apples pink.  I have pink apple sauce without using red hots or food color.  To top it off it is so sweet that I didn't need to add brown sugar, cinnamon or ginger.  These apples are amazing.  My little helper thought so too.

We have enjoyed these apples so much that I will be making more trips to Larriland Farms in the future.

I hope everyone is enjoying their fall favorites no matter where they live.