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These photos were taken in September 2012, a few months before my wife had her life changing jaw surgery, and this also celebrated my annual love of apple picking!  As most kids you are grown up with having to eat apples that you are given in brown lunch bags, and turn brown when you bite into them.  Not understanding that there were different kind of apples back in my childhood, I just imagined all apples were the same and I hated them!  So for a very long time anything that contained apples or anyone that tried to offer me an apple I would do my best to reject it with niceness.  Of course, when you are in the woods draped in military gear doing maneuvers, you will need to eat anything you can to give you energy to push on.

As I got older I discovered that apples came in different colors, which led me to start liking Granny Smith apples.  The sweet and tartness of this crisp fruit satisfied my craving for a juicy sour treat every single time.  For the longest time granny smith apples were the only apples I would eat, until this day I went apple picking with my wife.  I was apprehensive at first, but she claimed that it will be a different tasting apple than the ones in the stores.  So I gave it a chance and when I bit into one apple that I picked off the tree, I must’ve went to Heaven and back in the matter of a few seconds.  Since that day that I bit into a fresh grown apple straight from a tree, I will not eat apples from anywhere else.  The only apples I will buy in the store now are either granny smith’s or honey crisp apples.  My appetite for apples completely changed when this happened, and now I look forward to this endeavor every September-October!

If you are like I was about apples and don’t like how they taste coming from the grocery store, I advise you to try going apple picking with someone who knows what they’re doing and where to go.  You don’t just go to any apple picking orchard as you may be disappointed, so going with someone who knows and have the proper knowledge will help make the experience worth while.  Make sure you get the homemade apple cider and apple cider donuts!  If you aren’t careful you will eat the whole pack of donuts and drink half a gallon of before you pull out of the parking lot.  Each year my wife and I overdue it with apples and get more than we can actually use in a timely manner.  Apple crumb cakes are made and apple pancakes are made nearly every morning bring calm and freshness to our senses.  I also found out that the apples I would eat when I was younger were called McIntosh and Red Delicious apples.  These are nasty to me and I don’t ever want to eat one unless it is mixed in my apple pie dish or dessert.

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Apple picking is a New York past-time and something you have to at least do once in your life time before you pass on, I believe.  Of course, there are apple picking orchards in Maryland, but they aren’t the same as the orchards up here.  We picked one apple that was the size as my wife’s face post above.  This apple is called the Shizuka apple and probably one of the most delicious and juiciest apples on the planet.  We go apple picking simply for this type of apple now and if not careful we will having our finger bleed as we carry the plastic bags to our cars for purchase.  They are that good!  So if you are up here between the months of September and October, try to find time to find an apple orchard or simply get with us and we can probably give you some for the ride home!

Henry Scott