Apple Season

My favorite season has arrived!  I love Fall for the colorful leaves, crisp evenings and abundance of fresh apples.  We live in the apple capitol of the world--or at least that is what any Washington State tourism brochure will tell you.  And any road trip through Central Washington makes it pretty clear that we grow a LOT of apples.  The climate of Central Washington, with its 300 days of sunshine and cold winters, is perfect for apple and pear orchards.  Visit the Washington Apple Country site for more information on Washington apples.

Central Washington is also a beautiful destination for a Fall trip.  Every year my family goes to Lake Wenatchee State Park, near the Bavarian-styled town of Leavenworth, for one last camping trip.  The park is nearly deserted, the air is crisp and cold, and the fall colors are spectacular.  We spend our evenings playing games at our campsite, huddled around a roaring campfire. Our days, on the other other hand, are filled with bratwurst and beer lunches at the Octoberfest celebration in Leavenworth, and hikes around Lake Wenatchee.  It's a perfect balance of too much good food, too much good beer and too much relaxing.  Definitely something to look forward to every year!

Crisp nights make for beautiful fall colors

Our trip also includes a visit to our favorite fruit stand, Prey's Fruit Barn.  The barn is filled with apples, pumpkins, pears and locally made treats.  The girls spend time at the apple sample area, tasting slices of sweet and juicy apples to help us decide which varieties to buy.  This year we bought four boxes:  one each of Jonagold, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp. We now get to enjoy unlimited apple eating for a few weeks, and when I get to it, homemade applesauce to eat all winter.