This weekend we took a trip out to Mountain View Orchards, which is off the fruit loop in the Hood River area.
I have picked apples before, but this was a first for Anthony. And I have to admit he really put the "picking" in apple picking this year, blissfully drifting from tree to tree and bringing me different apples he thought looked pretty, or smelled good, or any reason at all.
One by one my bag became covered in the things he found. Eventually he visited the bins out front -- where there are slicers and sampling is highly encouraged -- and decided that spitzenburg apples were the ones we really needed to focus on.
Spitzenburg apples are an "antique" apple -- certainly a variety I have never heard of. Apparently they were a favorite apple of Thomas Jefferson. They are now a favorite of ours. There is a box full of them on the floor behind me as I type this, waiting to become cakes, applesauce and of course just to be eaten outright.
I spent most of my time enjoying the orchard artist style -- by sitting at the picnic table and drawing up a storm.
It was so peaceful out there. We'd both come off of an incredbily stressful week so it was good to get out there. Some friends met us out there later and a good time was had by all.
