Fall, that time of year for pumpkins, colorful leaves and traditionally apple picking. Coming from a country where this activity is not regarded as a fun outing with the family, I found interesting that as soon as September sinks in, the brochures start showcasing different orchards where you can perform this activity.
So I decided to give it a try and went with my husband and a friend to Marker-Miller Orchards. Apparently one of the most well-known places in Virginia for when we got there, the place was swarmed with families, kids jumping into tractor wagons, pumpkin patches next to the parking lot and loads of rows of apples trees to pick from.
Once you pay the size of the bag you wish to take home, you are allowed to enter the grounds in search of a wide variety: Granny Smith (perfect for apple pie), Golden apples, Delicious apples and some I'd never heard of as I shamefully must admit.
Marker-Miller Orchards also comprises a marketplace to buy multiple goods such as recipe books of how to use so many apples before they go bad, pies already made, together with other tempting bites to take home. I have always been terrified of the caramel apples though, as I believe my teeth would sink in the sweet and never come out.
One does feel like the American experience is fulfilled when you get to have for lunch BBQ ribs coupled with freshly made apple sauce, which apparently is also a big thing for young kids around here. When the banjo started to play, my husband could finally admit he had never had a more American day in his life. Neither had I.
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