Autumnal Rituals

Every fall, the need for apple desserts gets to be more than I can handle and I round up a group of friends for a trip to a U-Pick apple orchard. This year was no exception.

We were spending the weekend at Dave (above) and Tony's farmhouse in Union Pier, Michigan and there are orchards galore in that neck of the woods. Even better, lots of them also have pumpkins and gourds so you can kill two birds with one stone. Or even three birds when you think about the pumpkin's ability to become both pie and a decorative accent for the Thanksgiving table.

We decided on Dinges' Farm in Three Oaks.
There was so much to choose from! There were about a gabillion varieties of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. There was even one variety they called "Red Warty Things". That made me laugh out loud. We saw peacocks, peahens and there was even a litter of bunnies whose picture didn't turn out well enough to post.
After the pumpkin fest, it was time to get apples! For me, it's the main event. Here's a shot of Edward from Ireland up high in one of the trees. He's a brave one!

At the end of the day, we went home loaded up with apples and pumpkins, happy and tired. I'm already planning meals. Of course there will be apple and pumpkin pies but I'm going to experiment a bit more this year.
I saw a recipe for a tart made with apples, honey and goat cheese thatI need to try. And there's one for pumpkin ravioli that seems like a must-do this year too. Now, if the weather would just get a little cooler, we can have a feast!