Minnesota apples

The departure of summer is much easier to cope with when you have the knowledge that fall brings beautiful gifts of crisp air, celestial blue skies and apples. Ah apple, you are the perfect fruit. On the inside, you are a lover’s tango of both tart and sweet tenderness nicely protected by a crunchy thick skin on the out. We Minnesotans are lucky to have such a plethora of locally-sourced apples to choose from. Even better, the growers love selling apples so much that many share their orchard yards with us, thus creating an ultimate feel good opportunity for folks to be in touch with the fruits of our land.

Photo Credit: Univerity of MinnesotaWith the last of the mild fall weather eeking its way out, my friend and I decided to make the annual pilgrimage to the apple orchard and winery last weekend. Aamodt’s Apple Farm and the St. Croix Vineyards – conveniently located together just west of Stillwater – make the short journey too easy to pass up. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon on this idyllic little bit of land, you know how nice it is to escape the city, watch the kids jump around on hay bales, taste some lovely wines, and go home dreaming of what to do with your big bag of apples.