Yesterday (Saturday) was beautiful! The weather was perfect and we decided to go to Anderson Orchard. in Mooresville, Indiana to pick apples for applesauce and apple pie filling. 
This is a wonderful orchard where, as children, my mother took us to pick our own apples. The rolling hills of rows of apple trees is beautiful in their many fruitfilled colors. If you're stressed, it is a wonderful place to go to listen to the slight breezes rustling through the apple trees. You reach up and pick the fresh fruit from the tree. Dusting it briefly on your arm, you bite into a juicy burst of flavor that you rarely experience from store bought fruit. 
I feel sorry for the Anderson Family because, due to the late spring frost and the summer's drought, their trees only produced 25% of their usual yield this year. BEWARE! This situation may be reflected in local stores as it pertains to the midwestern crop yields. Its interesting in that, while the yield is smaller, the taste intensity is better. Go Fig!
Usually, we pick one bushel of Cortland apples for our applesauce and one-half bushel of Jonathan or JonaGold apples to prepare as apple pie filling. This we did and, today (Sunday), the house hosts a delightful aroma of cooking apples as we prepare to can the jars to store in our cellar for a delightful treat this winter. I'll work on the apple pie filling tomorrow since it takes longer is a little more labor intensive.
This past weekend, they also held their annual Apple Festival where they feature activities for the kids and a hugh tent of booths featuring arts and craft items made by local residents. Local non-profit organizations have food concessions and, of course, they are selling APPLES! It was packed. If you're "shy" of crowds, I recommend watching their calendar each Autumn and plan to visit one weekend other than when the festival is scheduled. Then, you can truly enjoy the purity of the serenity of the orchard. Trust me, it serves to cleanse the soul!
