Fobare’s Fruits is for the family. But it’s for those without families, too. A good omen of our apple picking adventure was seeing some dogs on the way to the farm.
We parked our car and headed up to the counter to get started on our apple gathering. It was raining out, but that did not deter any children or families. Fobare’s features a playground with an in-ground trampoline. I watched children slip and slide on the slick trampoline surface, and though I thought I might be jealous of their fun, I was not. The bruises they’d probably get didn’t seem worth it.
To fill up a small bag of apples cost $6, so after paying, we entered into the rows of apple trees. Each row had a sign saying the type of apple that grew there. There were many, many rows of gala apples. Too many if you ask me. The trees at the beginning of each row were mostly barren of apples, as other pickers had already gotten them.
The best apples were in the back, living in harmony with their apple brethren.
My group of friends and I weaved in and out of the rows, choosing the best apples for our bags. They slowly but surely began to fill up, until we had no room left for any more apples. Along our way back to the main part of the orchard, we stopped in the pumpkin patch.
For $30, you could fill an entire wagon with as many pumpkins as you want, which is a great deal for families. However, I’m not a family. I am a lone 21-year-old, and I do not have the responsibility or patience to care for that many pumpkins. So I settled for one pumpkin, and brought it to the counter to have it weighed and priced. The nice old man working at the counter didn’t bother with all that, and took a quarter for it. What a deal!
Beyond rows of apple trees and a small pumpkin patch, Fobare’s also offers a corn maze, a western-style playground and a general store with homemade apple cider donuts. As we all know, I’m vegan so I can’t tell you how the donuts are. However, for only a 20-minute drive from campus, Fobare’s can offer you the fall experience that you’ve been craving. The best part is making apple-themed snacks with the fruit of your labors!