Apple Picking!

It's so nice to have the option of leaving the city.

The hustle and bustle can get to be a little bit much sometimes and I feel so lucky all the time that TT and I both have family so close that will take us in when we want to see a tree or sit on a couch not from IKEA.

Wednesday marked the first day of Fall so last weekend, true to form, we left the city to go start our fall activities. We drove upstate to Albany and went apple picking!

We pulled up to Indian Ladder Farms at around noon. It was an absolutely gorgeous day - no hint of fall in sight, really.

The farm was split across the main road. On the one side you could pay $11 for a 12 lb bag to fill with apples of your choice. On the other side, you were invited to stuff 25 lbs of hand-picked apples into a bag all your own for just $17.

Can you guess which one we chose?

Armed with 25 lb dreams, we set off into the wood.

There were three fields open to us. The Macoun, a cross between a Macintosh and Jersey Black, is enjoyed throughout its October/November season as a naturally sweet un-sweetened applesauce or the perfect accompaniment to a cheese and cracker tray. They were in the fields closest to the car park.

The Cortlandt, a few twists and turns away, were boasted to be your best bet for baking. I made a bee-line to stash a few of my own pretty quickly!

And "for the adventurous souls" who weren't afraid of going off for a bit of a search, the Gala apples awaited us in the far field. Gala apples are sometimes called "lunchbox apples" because they are small and sweet - a perfect snack for a kid (or adult!).

Also the perfect pick for a gala gehl such as myself.

We were also told they were best enjoyed fresh...

Don't have to tell him twice!

We picked and snacked our way through the three fields, tasting different trees to make sure we weren't missing out on the best ones.

After about an hour we were thoroughly exhausted. Can you tell?

Stuffed with apples, we tossed our bag into the car and headed over to the farmhouse to check out the cider donuts

Obviously making some new friends along the way!

What a day! Fall, I'm ready for ya.

Indian Ladder Farms is a bit of a trek but well worth the trip! They're about 3 hours north of the city and are open everyday, 9-5pm until October 26! Find directions here and any other info you might need here!

Cherry Blossoms

Spring in New York has been a bit peculiar as of late.

I doubt if one can truly call it spring with the weather we've been having. One day it's 75 and people are walking the streets engulfed in a blanket of sun while the next the clouds roll back in, the temperature drops to the low 40s, and raindrops rudely make their intrusion known.

It's entirely too confusing and has given me a cold for the past few weeks as my body can't seem to figure out what temperature to adjust to!

While Mother Nature might not be up for the commitment, the rest of the city is trucking on through with the usual springtime commencement activities.

It has to come true sometime soon!

One such activity - the return of the Cherry Blossom Trees!

The Japanese Cherry Blossom tree is spectacular. When in bloom, it is bursting with the most gorgeous pink cloud-like blossoms that look a lot like cotton candy and almost immerse you as you trail underneath the branches.

Doesn't it look pretty enough to eat?!

The blooming of the Cherry Blossom trees is celebrated all around the world. In the US, thousands flock to Washington, DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival each year that celebrates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC in 1912. It was the start of a growing relationship of gift exchange between Japan and the US that still continues today!

While little 'ol Brooklyn might not have the grandest history of gift exchange with the leaders of Tokyo, they do have the Brooklyn Botanic Garden who puts on a pretty spectacular festival to celebrate the Cherry Blossom blooms each Spring!

The 2014 Sakura Matsuri Festival is a weekend dedicated to "celebrating traditional and contemporary Japanese culture." The lineup included Taiko Drumming, Manga, Tea Ceremonies, Japanese Pop Stars (J-Pop), traditional kimonos, samurai sword fighting, and more! Of course, don't forget the opening of the Cherry Esplanade and Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden which promised blooming cotton candy buds of Cherry Blossom trees to relish in.

 

Unfortunately, there was little relishing to be done as the silly weather has pretty much stopped most of the Cherry Blossoms from blooming just yet. We were able to find a few but, I mean, I wouldn't want to come out and play in the cold either!

Luckily for us, there were many other ways to keep occupied at the festival :)

Sushi, anyone?

It was a little too crowded but that was to be expected as the festival is quite a big event. I imagine if there had been more blossoms, the crowd would have dispersed a bit.

We ended up escaping the Cherry Esplanade to explore a bit more of the Gardens. Neither TT nor I had ever been to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden before so it was a great time to wander.

It's enormous! I can't imagine anything more perfect than packing a picnic lunch and setting off to explore the flowers when it's warm and sunny in the summer!

We eventually found our way back to the Japanese area to pick up a snack and go see the Bonsai Garden that was on display. Did you know that 'Bonsai' is not the name of a tree, specifically, only the name of a way of gardening trees? I know Bonsai trees. I had a "Grow Your Own Bonsai" kit as a child...but I've only ever known them to look like this...

My "Grow Your Own Bonsai" kit never got to this point...

Did you know they could look like all of these too?!

It was entirely mind-blowing! I just love learning new things about something you had already been acquainted with. There's so much information in the world. It's absolutely incredible.

Not to be missed - our very authentic, Japanese Bento Box. They had an assortment of chicken, beef, or vegetable. We opted for chicken and ate it on the grass while people in cosplay dressed as anime characters wandered around basking in all things Japanese!

While the weather was a bit too cool to fully enjoy it, I would absolutely recommend going back to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden some time this summer. The Cherry Blossoms will (hopefully) be in full bloom then, you might not have as many crowds as we encountered, and the gardens are absolutely massive and perfect for an afternoon adventure. Plus, it's a fantastic way to get out of the concrete and back into nature! Something that is sometimes a little too hard to do in NYC.