A Great Way to Spend a Fall Day

A stoic barn we passed along the way…

Oh, fall-it's the season that encourages us to wear flannel and consume copious amounts of pumpkin and apple-based baked goods. Feeling inspired, I decided to take a day trip to a local orchard where I could don my beloved flannel and gather some apples for a delicious apple pie.

Living in the city, I don’t get as much time as I would like to really submerge myself into nature and am always excited for a day-trip where I can hug a tree or walk around bare footed. All About Apples is a really helpful website with an abundance of information on orchards across the state.

I found Royal Oak Farm in Harvard, Illinois to be quite charming and was touched when I read that they are closed on Sundays so that they can spend time with their families. The hour and a half drive out to Harvard was lovely and scenic-we really felt like we had traveled outside of the bustling city.

Royal Oak Farm was everything that I had hoped it to be as we pulled up the winding drive-I felt a sense of peace immediately flow through me.

If you have little ones, the tractor ride is a fun way to get around through the orchards but we chose transportation by foot-any opportunity I have to walk on actual grass I will take!

It seemed that the rows went on forever...

We asked a sweet lady at the farm which apple she would choose for baking and she said Cortland apples are best because of their balance between sweet and tart. All of the rows of trees are clearly posted with the name of the apple, and marked with a yellow flag if they are ready for harvest.

I couldn’t help myself…

There is nothing like the sound of leaves crunching underneath your feet…

The farm also keeps bees, and offers the all-natural honey for sale in the General Store…stay tuned for more about the art of bee-keeping.

Our finished product after a delightful day in the country.

For delicious organic pie recipes, please visit: Greenopia.com