Apple Picking

The first week in October we went apple picking with Erica, Jackson, and Libby Lou!  We went to the fruit and berry patch and quickly found out that apple picking in Tennessee happens much earlier than in Indiana.  The owner told us that the best time to pick apples is in August.  To which I responded:  "WHAT???  I've never heard of apple picking in August??"  He then asked if I am a yankee!  WAHAHAHA!!!  He directed us to the trees where there were a few left and off we went.  Grace and Jackson had fun doing the actual picking and Anna and Libby enjoyed picking up the old, mushy apples off the ground.....GROSS!

Most of the apples we found had spots on them (or really didn't look too appetizing) so we opted to actually BUY the apples in the shop.

This place is great!  They offer jams/jellies, fruit and vegetables (whatever is in season), apple butter, etc. to buy.  The owner is a sweet, old man who looks like Santa Claus (white beard and all!).  He had some muscadines and I asked what they taste like.  If you're not familiar with muscadines, they look similar to grapes and even have white and purple varieties.  He told me to pop on in my mouth and see for myself.  This is how our conversation proceeded from there:

Me:  I popped one in my mouth just like he suggested.  He grows these things, after all.  I should trust him right??
Owner:  "Well I don't usually eat the outside (again, it's similar maybe a little thicker than the peeling of a grape)."
Me:  Thinking in my mind......."Awesome because it's now in my mouth!"
Me:  Then I chomped down on a hard seed and wondered if I broke my tooth.
Owner:  "Yep, there's a seed in there.  I don't usually eat that either."
Me:  "No kidding!"  Thinking to myself, "Annnnnd you might want to warn someone about that in advance there, buddy!"  WAHAHAHAHA!!


We had a fun day of apple picking (then throwing them out :), muscadine tasting, and capped the morning off with a lunch date at "Old McDonald's!"  Fun, fun day with good friends!!