This weekend we went to Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA to pick apples. I have never done this before and we had so much fun. I have had apples from Mercier Orchards before and they are delicious. It was the perfect fall day, but unfortunately we weren’t the only ones with the same idea. The place was a zoo! Out in the orchards was fine, but the general store was a madhouse. Despite the chaos, they are quite efficient though with the crowds. You can buy apples in their store as well as all kinds of baked goods (the apple fritter was AMAZING!), condiments, gifts and an amazing myriad of things. We chose to pick our own apples (and a pumpkin!) though we did buy some also to supplement our harvest .
My son was thrilled with the tractor ride out to the orchards. We stopped and picked out a pumpkin along the way too. At Mercier Orchards, they grow over 50 different varieties of apples and there were probably about 10 different ones available for picking this past weekend. We chose mostly Pink Lady and Cameo apples. Mercier Orchards doesn’t use pesticides on their fruit so you could actually eat the fruit from the tree – which we did! I cannot say how crunchy, sweet and juice these apples were just plucked from the tree. We quickly devoured three among us. I was so excited for my son to experience picking his own fruit. He loved it!
Apple picking will definitely be an annual event for us from now on, though next year I am going to make sure we get there early so as not to wrestle through the crowds. I am not sure what all we are going to do with the apples yet, but I did immediately begin work on this homemade Apple Butter in my slow cooker. The house smelled amazing!
Here is this week’s menu plan:
Monday: Chicken Apple Sausage, Squash Casserole and Roasted Eggplant
Tuesday: Greek Pasta with Tomatoes and White Beans with Steamed Broccoli (bumped from last week)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Shredded Chicken and Black Bean Tacos with a Green Salad
Friday: Evening Out
Saturday: Baked Horseradish Salmon, Brown Rice and Sautéed Spinach
Sunday: Simple Supper
What fun fall activities have you been enjoying with your family?
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