Sunday, December 1, 2013

Apple-licious

There hasn't been a week that's gone by since Labor Day weekend that I haven't made a run out to Ski-Hi Fruit Farm to buy a bag of apples.  The weather was more cooperative this year, so the supply has been abundant and the types of apples diverse.  We've tried numerous kinds of apples this year, most recently settling on Empires and Tolman Sweets.  The Empires have been large and ruby red, while the Tolman Sweets are slightly smaller and yellow in color.  There are still a few Granny Smiths in the refrig and a stray Macoun, Spartan or Honey Crisp in the wood bowl on the kitchen counter.  I can't imagine autumn without Ski-Hi Fruit Farm.  I grew up on Highway 12, just a stone's throw northwest of Ski-Hi, so going there is like going home for me.  I head out of town on Highway 123, taking the little fork onto one of my favorite roads (it's best to play classical music while on this stretch because they just seem to go together).  Then, at the corner near where Harold and Ruth Martin used to have their farm, you take a right and ascend the hill to Ski-Hi.  And sky-high it is.  From there, one gets a breathtaking view of the Baraboo Bluffs and a side view of the orchard and its apple-laden trees.  Some of my late mother's ashes were spread near there, so being at Ski-Hi also feels as if I'm near Mom.  Although Ski-Hi closes today till apple season next year, I will carry with me the happy memories of my weekly visits, the rich aroma of every apple I bought and the delicious crunchy taste of every apple I munched.  Those memories add to the tapestry of reasons why I'm grateful to live right where we do. 

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