It's apple season!

Woo hoo - check it out!

I've been waiting for this for awhile now!  These yummy tasty treats were bought in Stotler's Orchard store this past weekend, opening weekend for my favorite orchard.  We were out running errands, and there was no time for actual apple picking this weekend, plus I'm planning a work gathering at the orchard sometime in the next few weeks for actual picking.  This was just a quick stop to tide me over til then...  I got quite the mix - a good fourth or more of the bag is full of Gala apples, but there's also a couple "other" Gala varieties, Lobo, Ginger Gold, and many more.  The problem with doing a mixed bag like this (from the store or picking your own) is you just aren't going to remember what each of the types is when you get them home.  I HAVE thought about taking a Sharpie along, and writing on the peel...but that might be a bit weird.

The sliced apples in the photo above are Honeycrisp.  They weren't included in the "build your own bag" section - they're a more sought after variety, with people emailing and calling the orchard all the time asking when they'll be ready.  This was actually a bag of seconds - they'd had a sign up with prices for the small bags of firsts, seconds and thirds (this is just a rating of the quality for sale), but only had seconds left at the time.  For seconds, I have to say these were really fine looking apples - I didn't see any obvious blemishes.  Maybe they were just a bit small?

Also, when you're at Stotler's (as is the case, I assume, with most orchards), you want to also check out some of the other offerings.  I stuck with just apples this time, but they also had some pears and Asian pears (my own should be about read to come off the tree), and I might've seen some peaches?  Of all the local ciders I've tried, I think they have the one I've loved the most.  And while I've never bought a pie from an orchard, well....how can you pass up these tasty treats?

The doughnuts at Stotler's have always been consistent in texture and taste...LOVE them!!!!  These are fresh doughnuts - they're not gonna last forever, so buy just enough that you can eat them all within a few days.  Yummy yummy!