Fruits of Fall

Fall is probably my favorite time of year.  I love the feel of the air as it gets crisp and frosty.  I love the smell of the leaves as they rot into the earth down on the forest floor.  I love how my skin prickles when  the chill hits me.  The honking of the geese going south makes me smile.  And then comes the feast of  color for the eyes, and of course the flavors.

We spend more time outside since we aren't overheating or getting sunburn, and when we come in we look all aglow and refreshed.  We get to have campfires in the evenings and listen to the rains again.  We enjoy apples and pears fresh and in pies.  And this year we got an old cider press so we enjoyed sharing cider, and the fun of making it, with friends.

This morning we had our first heavy frost; a perfect reminder that winter is fast approaching, and even sooner, Christmas tree season.  We have one more weekend before we open and the busiest time of year comes in full force.  It is always exciting preparing and looking forward to seeing so many folks who come by annually to share a little bit of their seasonal festivities with us.  It is a highlight of our year to catch up a bit with farm friends whom we see each year, and to meet new ones.

Pears, ripe and juicy So many mushrooms on a log. It seems like a fairy city. Asian pears ready to pick Craig with a wheelbarrow. There is nothing unusual about this photo. In fact, I'm not sure how it made the cut. I like it though.  This is what we do. Hintings of fall against the blue sky Apples from my favorite tree Some luck. Amanitas, big and red. This one was so cute, and about the size of a tennis ball. This grove became covered with mushrooms about a week after this photo. One of the big ones was at least ten inches across. Usually they come a bit later. Perhaps winter will follow the other seasons and be a bit early this year as well.