Why you should go apple picking - with or without kids

Years ago, my friends and I took a road trip to an orchard to pick apples, and it was one for the books. 

You don't need kids to go apple picking; think of how any influencers have posted their floppy hat and flannel orchard photos to social media. Do it for the nostalgia. I felt it in the purest form, and I never even went apple-picking as a child. Yet the trip made me giddy, because I got to have an all-American autumn experience, on par with pumpkin-carving and hay rides. When you try things like this, you feel more alive. 

We picked bushels of Fiji and red delicious apples, and tucked into the "mile high" apple pies at Apple Annie's in Yucaipa, California, a few miles east of Los Angeles. We went to the petting zoo, perused holiday crafts in a village made up of cottages, and sipped apple cider by a bonfire. This is why you must go apple picking. 

In Virginia, Carter Mountain Orchard reigns supreme, because of their apple cider donuts, and being literally surrounded by wineries.

And when you get home with your haul, you'll be inspired to make spiked cider, or even try your hand at an apple tart or hand pie. After all, the world has sharpened up on their baking skills since the pandemic struck. Ladles and Linens' shelves are lined with harvest-themed bundt pans and and a rainbow of silicone tools - all the essentials you need for baking.

So go ahead, get some crisp mountain air and return with a brown paper bag filled with your favorite varieties. We can enjoy another all-American autumn experience: baking.