We have been looking forward to apple picking for a long time, and since buying a car, this is the first Autumn that we have been able to drive out of the city to the orchards. I asked our friend Kristin where we should go and she suggested Masker Orchard in Warick, NY. It is about an hour from the city….which with traffic really means two hours. Parts of the drive where heart warming beautiful with the leaves of the trees in the full spectrum of seasonal colour change. Being surrounded by all of the warm colours, crimson, amber and so much gold is really therapeutic. While driving through the golden light I felt bathed in the glory of it all and had a great sense of peace from the cycle of the seasons. When we finally arrived at the farm, the Girls were very happy to get out of the car and run around the line planted trees. I took along a rustic basket to fill with apples and a thermos of hot tea to fill our tummies. It did not take long for the basket to brim with red fruit, then home again we went. As you can imagine, my kitchen will be alive this week with the smell of apple cake, apple crumble, apple sauce, apple butter….and everything else with apple, apple, apples!