Obviously, this post is insanely late. I think we made this visit in early October and you’ve already seen some of the fruits of our labor. (I’m a little rusty with the writing, so please forgive the puns.)

Anyway, Applewood Orchards & Winery was absolutely packed the Saturday we went way back when. It took us close to three hours to get there, thanks to some competition to take advantage of a beautiful day and the back-up caused by the nearby Sugarloaf Fall Festival (which looked like a ton of fun but just wasn’t in the cards for us).

Before setting out into the orchard, we binged on some freshly made doughnuts and apple cider for a late lunch. We also partook (is that a word?) of the fine array of wines available at the on-premise winery. With our bellies satiated and a good buzz on, we took to the trees, opting to skip the hayride express to the pumpkin patch.

Our bag was almost half full with McIntoshes, before we realized that there were other varieties down near the pumpkins. While the wife sleuthed for our jack ‘o lantern-to-be, I hit more apple trees, attempting to add some diversity to our homogeneous bag. I grabbed some Courtlands, a few Macouns, Empires and Honey Crisps, and even a handful of Red and Golden Delicious (although these were small and probably could have used a few more days on the trees).

Meanwhile, my spouse picked a hell of a pumpkin.

Our arms full, and our legs tired, we proceeded to the check out. The whole deal cost $20, which was an absolute steal for a wonderful afternoon outside and some truly excellent produce.

And if you want to see what happened next with this pumpkin, turn the page …

Boo!

*And yes, I carved it myself, no stencils.