It wouldn't seem like fall if we didn't find our way to an apple orchard at some point, and today was the day. A group of families from the base--homeschoolers and others--were invited to an orchard way out in the country. The drive was as lovely as the time spent in the orchard with fall color peeking out and beautiful valley views.
It took quite awhile to get to the orchard by the time we stopped to pick up Japanese friends and to meet with a group of mentally challenged young a dults who came along with us for the day.
After a couple of hours, we finally made it to our destination. It was worth the long drive. The apple orchards here are small and often tucked away in forests and up in the hills. This is very different from the large, valley orchards we were familiar with in Yakima.
We were welcomed by both owners of the orchard, who led us down to the apples and gave a demonstration of how to pick an apple without damaging the tree. In all our years in Yakima, we had never learned this trick of holding the branch just above the apple stem and turning the apple upside-down. Off it comes, "pop".
Finally, we were set loose to pick Fuji and Golden Delicious apples to our hearts' content. With visions of apple crisp and apple pie in our heads, Katie, Joseph, Matthew, and I picked two large bags of beautiful fruit.
The generous orchard owners gave each person three apples as a gift, and we bought the rest. We had all taken gifts of baked goods and other items to give to them. In Japan, the giving of gifts is truly an art: one that I have not mastered. Thankfully, the Japanese people we have met have been very patient with our American blunders.
Before coming home with our treasures, we were served a delicious soup made by one of the orchard owners. Typical of Japanese soups, it contained long noodles and many vegetables, delicious mush rooms, and the squishy breadlike stuff that I can never identify, in a miso broth. During lunch, we learned that the gentleman who made the soup had made or grown every ingredient himself. A special gift for us. And totemo oishi des! The best treats of all were the wild mush rooms served along with the soup and the apple cider we were given to drink. Matthew slurped up his noodles as well as anyone and ate some stewed apples, which one of the Japanese interpreters stuck onto a chopstick for him, sort of like a lollypop. I wish I had taken the camera in when we ate lunch. He had a terrific time eating the apples from the chopstick.
After lunch, we started home, unsure of the way and a bit nervous. With help from Holly, another homeschooling mom who rode with me, who saw the sign at just the right moment, we found our way to the toll road. What had been a 2 hour journey on back roads in the morning, became a 45-minute ride home on the toll road in the afternoon. Thanks be to God. We had a wonderful day, but we were tired and ready to get back home.
How nice it was to get out into the autumn sunshine, breath the fresh country air, and return home safely to savor the scent of baking apples in our crispy dinner dessert!
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