If ever you’ve read The Cider House Rules by John Irving, Applecrest Farm will feel familiar. Irving drew inspiration for the book from his experience working there as a teenager. We used to live just down the road from here, and marked the season by what was available at the farm stand. Right now: pick-your-own strawberries or just-picked by the basket.
Blueberries will soon follow, with peaches, nectarines, and pears next. Fall raspberries accompany the arrival of a bountiful selection of apples, then pumpkins and gourds. It all seems to come in a rush, and all we can do is set ourselves to enjoying every minute of it.
A version of this post also appears at Seacoast Eat Local.
Diary of a Tomato 
Loved the list of apples. Way back when, I made a pie out of Red Delicious apples. It was indeed terrible. We have a local, pick-it-yourself source of Empire apples in Julian, CA. They are incredible eating apples. But for pies, nothing beats Northern Spies. I haven’t been able to find them in California yet, but with interest in heirloom apples burgeoning, I hope to soon.
Northern Spy is certainly one our favorite apples — definitely worth searching for to make into pies!
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