It's Apple Picking Time in Saugatuck

(Photo by Jill Devries) Revel in the natural, organic bounty of one of the finest orchards in Michigan, Crane Orchards in Fennville.  Fueled by the rich soil and abundant waters of the Great Lakes, the orchard is a great autumn destination to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature. Available varieties for picking vary throughout the season and currently visitors to the Orchard can pick Ida Reds, Jonathan, Empire and Jonagold. Gala and Honey Crisp have been pre-picked and are available for purchase. During your visit take a hayride, sample their special apple cider doughnuts and tackle the seasonal 20-acre corn maze which is uniquely reconfigured every year so it’s always a new experience.                       

Here are some fun facts about apples:

• Apples are members of the Rose family.
• They have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe and have religious and mythological significance in many cultures; archaeologists have found evidence that people have been eating apples since at least 6500 B.C.
• In North America the crab apple was the only native variety until European colonists introduced new ones in the 17^th century.
• In 1625, the first apple orchard on our continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton; by the mid-1600s there were about 60 varieties.
• Varieties brought as seeds from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes and cultivated on Colonial farms.
• John Chapman, a.k.a. Johnny Appleseed, really did exist, owned tree nurseries in the Midwest and sold and traded apple trees

Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits. ― Henry David Thoreau