Last Apple Blossom

The season required a final act, a great finale… I knew where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to an apple orchard. BelleWood Acres was chosen on the Internet as one of the best orchards in Western Washington. What a great time we had there! John and Dorie, the owners, took their time to explain to us what was where and answered our questions.

A leisurely stride between rows of apple trees on a sunny day could be therapeutic. But, if you have two pre-teen age boys, you don’t have a choice but to ride a golf cart! Fun!

Most of the apples were already picked and ready to be crunched and munched. Among others, we found our favorites – Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji and Gala. As they said on the site, tasting was obligatory! What a pleasant duty it was! The best description of the fresh apple taste that I heard comes from my sister, Natasha, who says that when you eat a recently picked apple, you feel like there is no pulp, just juice. This is exactly how I felt eating BelleWood Acres apples: you bite, and the fruit’s flesh turns to juice almost without chewing.

Something new. For the first time, we tasted a late season apple named Orin. “Introduced from Japan, the sweet Orin is a true delicacy. In Japan it is customary to slice and share these apples with family and friends following meals and for special occasions. It has a subtle pear-like flavor that is a treat to remember”. (Description is borrowed from the farm’s site BelleWood Acres ). We all, four of us, gave Orin our top vote. We picked the smaller size fruit so the boys could take them to school in their lunch boxes. As we understood, Orin apples are not sold in stores. And, what about varieties such as Idared, Belle de Boskoop or Sonata? This is one of the reasons I like to visit apple orchards. There is always something unique there, some heirloom varieties not found in retail stores.

Something old. An apple press, scales and all those things which make you feel like traveling to the past in a time machine.

Something to eat. We bought, beside the apples, raspberry honey, apple cider vinegar and blackberry jam. Apple turnovers had a heavenly taste. Our boys gulped caramel apples in no time.

Something for the house. The farm’s store was full of practical, pretty things. The Chinese lanterns that I chose will brighten up my kitchen long after the apples and honey are gone!

Physalis alkekengi (Bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese lantern, or Winter cherry; Japanese: hōzuki). It is native from southern Europe east across southern Asia to Japan. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 40–60 cm tall, with spirally arranged leaves 6–12 cm long and 4–9 cm broad. The flowers are white, with a five-lobed corolla 10–15 mm across, with an inflated basal calyx which matures into the papery orange fruit covering, 4–5 cm long and broad. It is a popular ornamental plant, though can be invasive with its wide-spreading root system sending up new shoots some distance from where it was originally planted. (from Wikipedia)

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Something to learn. As a family of avid salmon fans (salmon fishermen and salmon eaters) we took notice that the farm is certified Salmon Safe! For those who want to learn about salmon lifecycles, there is a poster at the bridge over Ten Mile Creek.

Meeting my old friends. At the end of rows of apple trees, it was so neat to spot the old fashioned crabapples which were planted there for pollination. How many childhood memories are connected with them! That was the type of crabapples which had the smallest apples. My husband and sons had never seen such tiny apples before. I made them try the soft sweet and sour fruit. Delicious! It’s on the crabapple tree that I saw what I called the last apple blossom. Even though it was late autumn, there was a subtle reminder that spring will be here in no time.

All in all, we liked the place! Neat. Friendly. Refreshing. Charming. We might go back pretty soon since the apples which we brought are disappearing very fast! I also want to get more cider, try their apple pies, apple chips and peanut butter cookies.

Thank you John and Dorie for the wonderful day! It was a perfect grand finale for the season!

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Copyright 2010 TatyanaS