Ripened Days

It was a picture-perfect day for my friend Katherine McPherson and her adorable fiancé Chad.

Katherine McPherson

They were doing more than picking apples. They were also picking memories.

Katherine McPherson

They headed to Lawrence Farms in the Hudson River Valley area where the gnarled limbs were reaching down tumbling the fruit to the ground.

Katherine McPherson

It was a day of harvesting & gathering too, with good friends Betsy & Mike.

Katherine McPherson

I love rituals of friendship & days like this are especially meaningful.

Katherine McPherson

Good friends are people who help you be more of yourself.

Katherine McPherson

And an apple a day & good friends are always good for your health.

Katherine McPherson

The adorable photos of the day were captured by Katherine who also happens to be the photo editor for Fab Over 50. Thank you so much, Katherine, for sharing your day with us.

Katherine McPherson

Get to know Katherine and her wonderful photography at

her new website is coming soon!

photo: Stacey Van Berkel-Haines for Garden & Gun

While they were picking apples in the Hudson Valley, we were doing the same just outside of Lexington.

Did you notice the empty baskets?

Lisa Porter

 Well, the pickings were slim to none.

Lisa Porter

But the corn fields were amazing!

Lisa Porter

The late October sun was drowsy & warm.

Lisa Porter

Dry corn stalks were clattering in the wind.

Lisa Porter

It was a good, mellow yellow, ripened day.

Lisa Porter

Picture perfect too!

We're looking forward to the weekend, aren't you!

Autumn Jewels

Nature’s bounty is abundant, beautiful & all apparent!

Casey Sills

I grew up out west where temperatures are mild & seasons quietly flow from one to the next.  This time of year in Kentucky, we feel a crispness in the air & see a transformation of astounding color. 

A favorite family tradition is the Autumn harvest of Apples!

 

Antonis Achilleos

Fresh Winesap from the orchard to fill a garden urn or Crispin for a handsome centerpiece in the library. With the bright greens, varying textures and fresh fragrance of the fruit, this gorgeous combination will long outlast a fresh floral bouquet.

Veranda

With their abundance, it’s not surprising that they have migrated beyond the kitchen and can be found in unexpected places throughout my house.

 But the best way to enjoy these sweet-smelling pommes is fresh from the tree!

I love the sweet & aromatic Monroe,

or a crisp green Crispin,

or a venerable old cultivar, the heirloom Winesap.

Flickr

There is nothing like biting into a beauty that you have just reached up & twisted from the branch of the tree! Tools of the trade that apple aficionados swear by are available for us to harvest our own.

Here is the pick of the crop!

This wooden Orchard Ladder by Peter Baldwin has a pointed top that rests in the crotch of tree limbs.

Fill wooden market baskets & give them to friends!

Felco’s classic 25-inch-long Lopper from Gempler's will cut branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter.

 Lower fruit into picking baskets with a front release skirt from Oescoinc.

The curved blade of this 14.5-inch pruning saw from Garrett Wade, keeps you from harming other branches in tight spots.

And this galvanized-steel handy Picking Bucket from Peach Ridge, along with a Fruit Harvester from Gardener's Edge will assist those who prefer to pick from ground level.

Happy Harvest!