When I felt the first chill of fall last week, I thought of pumpkins. (Apparently, so did everyone on Pinterest, which was overrun with Martha Stewart-esque fall décor and craft ideas for tables, front porches, mantels, and anything else that can hold a pumpkin or a mum.) But my first thought was of the Great Pumpkin’s late summer/early fall predecessor: the apple. Had our extremely hot summer and my extremely busy September made me miss the apple-picking window?
Fear not, the apples are still waiting to be picked at Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant [4] in Starlight, Indiana. My family enjoyed the pleasant forty-minute drive to the beautiful farm last weekend, and we came home with bags (they no longer use bushels) of perfectly ripe Red and Golden Delicious apples. For foodies ready to cook or can, another field overflows with four varieties of cooking apples. On the wagon ride to the orchard, we passed by the pumpkin fields and a few eager families determined to boast the best pumpkin on their block. The pumpkins look great, but you’ve got another month to pick them. Don’t forget about the apples—they’re ripe now and ready for picking.
Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant (http://www.joehubers.com [4]) is located 22 miles from Louisville, at 2421 Engle Road in Starlight, IN. As they say, “getting there is part of the fun!” Besides the free wagon ride to the apple fields, kids will love seeing farm animals, jumping off haystacks in the barn, and riding the tractor in the Barnyard. Admission to the Barnyard is $4 for ages 2-18 and parents are free, but bring more money than that—it’s difficult to pass up the apple cider and apple bread in the Farm Market.
Photo: Anna Frye