Apple Picking and the Arrival of Fall

Fall is officially here - at least the weather is- and I am so excited about watching the leaves change, enjoying many pumpkin-themed foods, spiced cider and switching out my short for sweaters. I have loved summer but I am looking forward to the arrival of fall.

The remaining box of apples - after a huge skillet for breakfast!

With all the wonderful things that happen with fall, and the transition, I knew I wanted to get in one of my favorite past times - apple picking!! I really enjoy going out and spending the day grabbing some delicious goodies at a local orchard. (well, not so local in my case this year). My aunt, boyfriend and I decided to take a Saturday trip to Charlottesville to visit Carter Mountain  Orchard for our apples and to visit around the rest of Charlottesville later on in the day.

Fiji Apples galore!

It ended up being not only a great day, but beautiful weather as well. There were so many delicious apples for picking (and tasting) that we ended up with about 4 pounds of apples!! My aunt ended up with about 1 pound herself to take home as well. The best part is the apples were HUGE - not like the ones you find at the grocery store either. These were twice the size and so juicy.

After grabbing as many apples as we could carry (thanks to the boyfriend for giving me a boost to grab the best ones at the tops of the trees), we headed into downtown Charlottesville for brunch and a little shopping before heading home to enjoy the fruits of our labors and the rest of the weekend!

Oh, and we did...we got home and made some delicious homemade apples on the skillet! And, we still have a ton leftover. So of course, I am pinning apple recipes! Any great apple recipes out there anyone knows about? I would love to have them!