Apples- now this is something that is abundant in Maine. They are literally EVERYWHERE this season. And while we love going to orchards and grabbing a peck or two, how we get the bulk of our apples is pretty simple.
We ride up and down old county roads. We find a tree that has apples down around the bottom, because that means they are ripening. We stop at that tree, and Mr. Gillis gets an apple. And then we taste test it.
If it’s good, we take a bag full and mark its location on our gps. If it’s not, we chuck the apple and get back on the road.
This usually turns into an all day adventure, so we treated ourselves with our favorite takeout- which we were lucky to catch open, as they were closing that day. 
We found some interesting places, some looked like they might even be old apple orchards. 
Now, we do also buy apples from local orchards, because we really believe in supporting local businesses. And in the interest of full disclosure, we buy apples from the grocery store, there’s nothing wrong with Fuji, or Braeburn or golden delicious. There is a lot wrong with the Macintosh, tho. But the majority of our apples come from this type of hunting and gathering. And a very nice lady named Carrie that gave us a whole bucket of beautiful red crab apples for jelly.
If you want to read some really good stuff on apples and the lost heritage of the American orchard, check out John Bunker the Maine Apple guy.
We still have some picking to do but I’ve already made and frozen apple sauce. Which is actually the topic of my next blog….
So until that time, have a wicked good evening.
Gillis Gardens, LLC 