Pick your own

When I was growing up in Sackville, New Brunswick, one of our September rituals was to go to Stirling Apples in Aulac and buy a whole bushel of fresh Gravenstein apples from the Annapolis Valley.  They'd start out really tart, but get mellower as we worked down to the bottom of the basket.

Gravensteins are harder to find in Ontario, but through the miracle of Google search I found Orchard Home Farms, a pick-your-own orchard out near Cambridge.  Toward the end of August we go out there and pick several bags of Gravensteins.  We also go back in early October to get Jonagold, Mutsu and Golden Delicious.

This year was a bust for apple growers thanks to a warm March followed by a cold April.  They didn't have any Gravensteins.  Then after I came back from London I didn't feel well, then Father didn't feel well, so we only got out there today.  They only had Golden Delicious to pick, not as big as what we were used to.  But they also had some nice pre-picked Ambrosias and Honey Golds.

I noticed they're growing some new Gravenstein trees there.  I hope they're bearing fruit before too many years.

In July we also go to Whittamore Farm just north of Steeles Avenue.  We pick our own strawberries and raspberries, and they also have peas and beans and such.  We always go early in the morning, before the summer heat reaches its daily peak.