All Things Apples

Ahhh - we are in the midst of it, my friends! The pinnacle, the peak,
the GLORY that is LEAF SEASON.

Something about the clash of warm colors on a cool day, gentle wind and a crisp blue sky - this season has a resonance like jazz. Makes a girl want to snap her fingers, sip a hot apple cider and hum to the melody of spontaneity. Autumn has always been my favorite time of year - and here in the Blue Ridge Mountains we celebrate this closing up of the warm seasons with such fondness. From Samhain rituals, Haunted Halloween trails to Harvest Festivals, Western North Carolina knows how to embrace the fullness of Fall.

For me and my family, nothing says Autumn like a good apple harvest. We enjoy the hikes, the changing leaves, the squashes and pumpkins - but the year can not be completed without at least one thorough day of apple appreciation. For this, we've taken up the tradition of spending a day at the Stepp’s family orchard.

Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard

A classic family fun in the south kind of place, they offer a full range of apple activities, pretty much everything you can think of doing with an apple - they do it here.

APPLE PICKIN’

APPLE CANNON

Nothing like shooting an apple out of a cannon. My boys LOVE it. Jussst a little bit of harmless fire arm play on a sunny afternoon. Apple pirates shooting at a target across the field. A few "Arrs" and "Shiver me timbers" later and all I can think about is whether or not this could be an effective way to make apple sauce...

CORN MAZE

5 Acres of weaving pathways through super tall stalks of corn. I used to think sitting on a haystack in the fall was novelty - but an intricate twist of vegetable dead ends and drying husk walls that tower of your head- getting lost in a labyrinth of grain for what seems likes hours - Your whole family, delirious with corn confusion, filled with laughter and in an altered state of proprioception which only knows sky, dirt and maise - now that's novelty.

YUM

Even though we’re set to go home with more apples than anyone would ever really need - we still can’t resist grabbing a couple masterfully made apple treats from The Apple House. You can’t go wrong with any of them. Apple pie, apple butter, apple cider, apple donuts… Just to name a few of our family favorites. 

Harvest season is almost over and you have just a couple weeks left to experience the height of autumn at this farm. With so much more to be experienced than I can mention in this blog, every part of me wants to encourage you to pack up the family and take a spontaneous weekend trip to Stepp’s to fill your belly and your spirits with all things apples.