Apple Season

One of the things that I adore about living life close to nature is that we are so aware of the seasons in every way - the activities we enjoy, the places we go, the work that we do and the food that we eat.  My boys know that shortly after summer (camping, beach days, fresh garden goodness in abundance) comes apple season.  A few weeks ago a friend invited us to join her family for a nature walk and to pick some apples from a wild tree they had found (we're not sure what kind they are).  We spent a beautiful sunny morning walking by the creek, spotting mushrooms and horse chestnuts, and picking apples from an old tree.  The tree was unpruned, unsprayed and, quite obviously by the amount of scat under it, a favourite of bears, deer and some other critters.

I LOVE getting unsprayed apples because then I feel no need to peel them before making sauce, I just quarter them, cook them up and then run them through this mill.

Last week E and I joined loads of other homelearners to pick Spartans from an orchard where the apples were not going to be picked - we came away with our vehicle loaded with boxes and bags of unsprayed apples, free for the picking.  What a delightful way to spend some time.  I always feel so very fortunate to have chosen this area as the place to live and raise our family and the ready access to such amazing produce is one of the reasons I love it so much. 

E was delighted to notice this in one of the apples he was munching...

a heart.

I hope you're finding pleasure in the delights of the season wherever you are.