When the sun is out, leaves are starting to turn orange, and the air turns brisk there is only one thing to do other than catch the worst cold ever. That’s right, I’m talking about apple picking.
A short 15-minute drive from Portland lies the Snell Family Farm. The Snell Farm has an abundance of trees, plants and a whole lot of nature. There are mums, lambs ears of corn, potatoes and pretty much anything else one could ever want from a farm. From apples to sunflowers, butternut squash to gourds, all grow on this beautifully manicured farm.
The farm consists of a large white farmhouse, about six greenhouses, and a fairly large barn that has been changed into a store. When you first drive up you are greeted by a greenhouse filled to the brim with pumpkins of every size, with trays of garlic piled near the door, and a cute little gray bunny who waits patiently for some attention.
These pumpkins aren’t the horribly disfigured ones that the supermarket sells. On the contrary, these have the greatest shapes and a perfect golden color for the best jack-o’-lanterns you could carve. Just past this greenhouse is the little store that houses vegetables, pumpkins, butternut squash, and apple cider. Inside there is a woman who will gladly hand you a bag for your apple picking needs. For 50 cents a pound, you can get a lot of apples in any size bag from large to small.
Once out of the store, we were faced with the choice of which way to walk.
After looking around, it really made no difference and the closest tree was now the destination. There were rows of trees as far as the eye could see. From what we were told there were a few trees that had different types of apples. They must have been few and far between, because we never found them. What we did find was all Macintosh trees, with the good apples at the top.
How did we get to them you ask? By doing what any kid would do. We grabbed a branch and climbed up. This was all a ton of fun, but most memorable was playing Marco Polo when you lost sight of the others.
After picking three-bags worth and eating an ungodly amount of apples in the picking process it was time to head back to the store. After selecting the three most perfect pumpkins it was time to pay. Picking just the right pumpkin is a hard and tedious process. Not any old gourd can go home with me. Eventually a $10 pumpkin found its way to the car.
Now the kitchen is very foreign to this writer. (That’s why I am Starving.) What better to make than apple pie with our freshly picked apples and baked pumpkin seeds with the seasonal pumpkins?
First thing’s first. It takes a little time to get reacquainted with the tools in this kitchen. I should take advice from Martha Stewart and not do this without adult supervision. The process is a little time consuming, especially the apple cutting part. I should own stock in Bandaids.
It was a blast to make apple pie from scratch, although the Hannaford’s receipt does include a piecrust on it. Honestly I had my doubts because of the lack of talent I possess in the kitchen. With a little mess, and some patience you too can make a perfect apple pie.
All in all, it was well worth it and lots of fun. There is nothing like the sweet taste of apples and cinnamon with vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream.