I love candy. I mean I REALLY love candy. I have a Grade-A certified sweet tooth, and I have the dental record to prove it. Lately, however, I've been trying to cut back on the sweets and eat some healthier snacks. That's how Alison and I decided to go to the Sekapp Orchard to pick some apples.
It was a crisp fall afternoon the day that we went to the orchard. It wasn't so cold that it required a winter jacket, but much too cold for shorts. Our drive out to the orchard was short; Sekapp is just a five minute drive from Alison's apartment. The drive seemed to go by so much faster as I watched colorful trees fly past me. Fall is my favorite season, because I love the way the color of the trees changes the atmosphere and how the cold air freshens my senses. When I opened the car door at the orchard a burst of cool air hit my face. Refreshing. I took Alison's hand (eeewwww cooties) and we walked into the Sekapp Farm.
Right away you can tell these guys at Sekapp mean business. There are pumpkins all over the place and... Wait a minute; this is an apple orchard, what's with the pumpkins? As you'll learn when you get there, Sekapp actually doesn't exclusively sell apples. On their 170 acre farm, the Kappauf family harvests over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, making Sekapp Orchard Rochester's largest grower of produce. They grow raspberries, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, onions, tomatoes, sweet corn and even pears! In October, however, Sekapp gets most of its business from pumpkins and apples. 
Alison Standing in front of a Spooky Hay Bail
Alison and I did not go to Sekapp to get any pumpkins, so we left the pumpkin patch and headed towards the orchard. It turns out that the folks at Sekapp offer wagon rides on the weekend to anyone who wants to pick their own apples, so we got in line for the next wagon.
Wagon Rides!When we arrived at the apple orchard the wagon stopped. The driver let us off and offered us five, ten, or twenty pound bags to collect our fruit in. He told us that all apples are a dollar per pound, except for honeycrisps, which are two dollars per pound. Alison and I grabbed two ten pound bags and then the driver let us loose in the orchard. We spent about half an hour in the orchard before we hitched a ride back to the farm on a wagon with seven pounds of honeycrisps and five pounds of fireside apples.
Rows of Apple Trees
Alison Picking Some Apples
The Wagon Ride Back
In order to buy your apples, you need to go to the salesroom located on the west side of the farm. The salesroom is filled with pre-picked apples and other produce. The coolest part about the sales room is that they have free samples of every apple they have for sale! Alison and I couldn't help ourselves and we ended up getting a jar of apple salsa, two pieces of caramel, two caramel apples, and a pack of caramel to make caramel apples (can you tell I have a sweet tooth yet?) along with our twelve pounds of apples. With the added stuff, the total came out to be about thirty dollars. Not bad for fresh produce.
Free. Apples.
Our Bounty from the OrchardAll in all, my apple orchard experience was a treat. If you would like to go sometime, Sekapp Orchard is open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, 7 days a week. If you would like to pick your own apples you need to go on a weekend.
Skol!
~Dylan