10 responses so far ↓

• 1 Cathy // Sep 27, 2011 at 9:00 am

  I love going apple picking in the fall, it’s something that my family did each year growing up.
  Those Pink Pearls look really neat, I’ve never heard of them before.

• 2 megan // Sep 27, 2011 at 10:33 am

  Cathy – The Pink Pearls were so much fun to discover, but since they weren’t ripe I cannot say if they tasted good. I’ll keep an eye out in the Farmers Markets around here to see if I can find some ripe ones to try.

• 3 Kristin A. // Sep 27, 2011 at 10:48 am

  I must find a pink pearl apple! I’d love to go apple picking. I need to do a search and see if there are any local places I can go to here in SoCal.

• 4 jennifer e // Sep 27, 2011 at 11:37 am

  that face made me smile. :) thanks for sharing.

• 5 Sakina // Sep 27, 2011 at 4:29 pm

  I’ve never heard of the Pink Pearl Apple, but it sounds awesome! I gotta see if they have that available all the way down here in Florida. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a place you can go apple picking here, maybe orange picking! XD

• 6 Amanda // Sep 27, 2011 at 7:28 pm

  That is cool! I have never been apple picking before. I would love to go some time. They don’t have any area Chicago but I am moving to South Carolina, maybe there will be some there?

• 7 kimia kline // Sep 27, 2011 at 9:13 pm

  that might be the most amazing rotting fruit face i’ve ever seen. it’s kind of fabulous.

• 8 Margaret // Sep 28, 2011 at 11:04 am

  I’m thinking about going apple picking this weekend. Do you recommend Jones Creek Farm as a place to go? There weren’t many details in your post (or on their website) and I don’t really want to drive the 1.5 hours to get there if it isn’t really worth it.

• 9 megan // Sep 28, 2011 at 1:42 pm

  Margaret – Jones Creek Farm is very basic. They have a little store where you can buy garlic, apples, and whatever else they might have in stock. They keep a pot of caramel going so you can dip your apples if you’d like, and on colder days we’ve been offered hot cider. On some weekend days they have a small group of people selling baked goods, you might call ahead and see if you get a date for when that will be happening. They have chairs and a picnic table out in front of the farmhouse that you can use, while we were there a family had brought along a whole picnic. There are also ride-on toys for kids and a tire swing.

  There are lots of apple trees, about a dozen rows that are very very long! The farm has carts that you can use, but the ground is very bumpy so I’ve found that a reusable shopping bag that goes over a shoulder is the best thing to bring along. Wear boots if it’s been wet at all, and make sure they are comfortable since you might be out there for a while if you wander slowly. They have hundreds of varieties of apples but all the trees are ripe at different times so it’s really what you luck into. While we were there the pears and the (butterscotch tasting) Japanese pears were ripe. About a third of the apple trees were ripe, some trees were picked clean. The trees are labeled but it can still get confusing. Last year we found a Bramley tree, a British variety that is fairly rare around here, but we couldn’t locate the tree again. As you wander you are encouraged to take a bite of any fruit you’d like, and you can toss the apple at the base of the tree if you don’t like it or if it isn’t ripe yet.

  The rows of trees are long enough that you can get lost for a little while. The farm is real, there is a pony and chickens and they also grow pumpkins and other crops. It’s not fancy (there will be no ball pit or Halloween display) but it’s worth it. While you’re up there plan to eat at Calico Cupboard for breakfast, or maybe stop at Bob’s for the Double Dutch burger (that is our tradition). Or if you’re headed back in late afternoon perhaps head to La Conner for dinner. I think next weekend is a festival where a bunch of farms in the area will be open to visitors, so perhaps that will make the drive more worth it!

• 10 Greg // Oct 3, 2011 at 8:53 am

  Oh, that’s a great photo of the fallen apple!
  You should submit that to the Museum of Food Anomalies! http://www.hanttula.com/exhibits/mofa/

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