How I Spent My Weekend

Or, "shopping for apples."

Originally I just wanted to get some apples, for pete's sake. The only orchard I know of that carries them is up by Pokagon, and I know they've done "Apple programs" at the Nature Center at Pokagon before, and of course I couldn't remember the name of the orchard so I couldn't look them up. Why did I have to look them up? Because I wanted to find out if they had Northern Spy apples in stock yet. Northern Spies just so happen to be the very bestest apples EVER, and very few places carry them anymore (in fact, the orchard-I-couldn't-remember is the only place I know of that still has 'em), and they're a later apple, so I didn't want to drive up there for nothing.

I did check the Yellow Pages, only they're not listed. So, next try - check out Pokagon's activity list and see if they're doing an apple program this year. That should mention it, right?
Sure, if they were doing one this month. Answer: No, they weren't - but they were doing a nifty program on Tree Identification, and Saturday was supposed to be a really lovely day, so we decided to go to Pokagon. Drive up there, attend the Tree ID program, learned how to use a Dichotomous Key (sort of like Choose-your-own adventure, actually. "Does it have this characteristic? Go to step 2. Does it have this OTHER characteristic instead? Go to step 3." Pretty neat, although the characteristics they had listed for "Box Elder" worked just as well for the wild grape vines they had growing there. Sneaky.)

Anyway, afterward we talked to the Naturalist who said, "Oh, yeah, it's G.W. Stroh orchard and I'll go and call them if you like to find out if they have any Northern Spies in stock."
Woohoo!
They did!

So we went and got some Spies and they're deeeeeeeelicious.

So, for future reference next year when I completely forget the name of the orchard again, and to give these wonderful people some free advertising, here's all the info in one handy place:

G.W. Stroh Orchard and Strawberry Farm
U-pick Strawberries, Farmers Market
Monday - Saturday 9 am - 6 pm
Sunday 11 am - 5 pm
September through March, June
2 1/2 miles north of Angola on SR 827
Contact: phone 260-665-7607

They've got a fabulous variety of apples, fresh-squoze apple cider, and various flavors of fudge. Including Kev's favorite, Maple Walnut.
Give 'em a visit.
Tell 'em Fred from Pokagon sent you.