Autumn has finally arrived! It has been several days in a row now of coolish weather, even a little brisk on my morning walk to the bus stop. It feels wonderful, and in celebration I had a very nice mid-week interlude away from work and Omaha. I was invited to go to Nebraska City (I went there in July, too) to visit a few of the apple orchards. It was all unexpected but I couldn't pass it up.
This is the time of year when Nebraska City really comes alive. It is a lovely little town, very picturesque and in the fall very busy with their AppleJack festival. I am not fond of crowds so it was nice to go during the week after the festival and when things were noticeably quiet. Normally you can walk down into the orchards and pick your own apples, but as it was midweek and apparently the harvest was smaller than usual, the orchards were closed and you could only buy apples in the attached store/Apple Barn.
The orchard workers were busy making apple cider. All behind closed doors of course, but you could peek in through the windows and see the machines at work. Can you see the cider going through the tube into that huge vat? I couldn't manage to catch the apples being spit out from the conveyor belt.
But from the outside I caught them as they were coming up and being loaded into the machine.
And here is all the stuff that isn't used in the cider. A massive mound of skin and seeds, I think.
I actually didn't buy any apples to take home as I have a big bag of my favorites (MacIntoshes) that I am working on and I have been buying apples from other local farms at my local farmer's market.
I did, however, partake of some jams. I found a nice jar of my favorite gooseberry jam that should see me through the fall as well as apple butter. I managed to resist the apple donuts, but it smelled apple-y sweet inside!
If you drive in the Nebraska countryside, you will see lots of this! The corn was still on the stalks, so I think this must be feed corn. It was breezy out and dry corn makes a very particular sound, which is actually kind of cool. A swish-swish, rustle-y sound. I like it. It is very peaceful and calm (though I can do without all the grasshoppers--hate to think what else is hiding in among all that corn in those fields!).
A few festive photos. Autumn is my favorite season. I brought home a mini pumpkin and a little green gourd to decorate my desk and bookcase. Aren't these gnarly fellows interesting-looking? So nice to enjoy an (unexpected) lovely fall day!