September 11, 2005
Apple Picking
I took the week of Labor Day off. Fortunately, we'd planned to spend the week in the area, enjoying the Asheville area and all the things it has to offer. Pictures and commentary follow.
On Monday, we went to Sky Top Orchard to pick apples. Meg enjoyed the experience, running all over the 40 acre plot. We managed to convince her that it was ok to ride in the wagon, especially if she wanted to see everything. We were too early for the Fujis, but got a peck of Mutsu greens for baking and Cortlands and Honey Crisps for eating. The Gala trees were in sad shape - the apples had some sort of blight on them.
I got a chance to go hiking with Brent Brown at the Turkey Pen area in the Pisgah Forest. Excellent hiking area. The trails follow the South Fork of Mills River and wind upward away from the river to a ridge. Brent and I both got some fabulous pictures.
Friday night, I went to see Rathkeltair play at Jack of the Wood. I saw them play two sets before I started getting tired - it was almost 1 AM. Collier was not with the band; instead, they had a session bassist from Chapel Hill. Neil told me before the show that Collier was in Scotland getting married. I figure that's a good excuse to miss the Asheville show.
Today, we went to the Mountain State Fair with Meg. She loved seeing the various farm animals, especially the goats. The folks from Spinning Spider Creamery in Marshall were there. These guys bring goat cheese to our local tailgate market every Wednesday and are great folks.
Spinning Spider has been sharing a tent with some folks with fresh seafood at our tailgate market. I bought two fabulous tuna steaks from them this week. I coated the outside with soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper and seared the outsides. We served them with a wasabi cream sauce and a sauté of mixed vegetables from our CSA (Green Toe Ground CSA, in Burnsville).