On Saturday, after exploring the festival in Chinatown, we headed out of the city to meet up with Brian's brother and family at a small state park that was having an apple festival. It turned out to be a little different than the festivals I usually attend in North Georgia. Instead of a commercial or community venture, it was an educational program put on by one of the smaller state parks. Garin features an old barn, an apple orchard, and an old cottage as well as the usual park hiking trails. Website: Garin Regional Park
They did a good job taking advantage of their strengths -- live fiddle music in the old barn, tours through the orchard, and exhibits of old farm equipment. They also had craft areas for the kids, hand-cranked homemade apple ice cream, a exhibition of Dutch oven campfire cooking (apple fritters...mmm), and a cider press demonstration. I think our California nieces and nephew had a good time trying things out and seeing how life was managed back in the Good Ol' Days.
The park was lovely and I enjoyed soaking up the scenery. My favorite spot, though, was the long row of apple-tasting tables under a shady wisteria trellis. They probably had 20 to 25 different types of old varieties of apples to taste. Galas were the only ones familiar to me. The names were inspiring from funny to mystical. I can't remember them all, but I found a website listing heirloom apples...Pink Princess, Pixie Crunch, King Luscious, Lowland Raspberry, Honeycrisp, Elstar, Chenango Strawberry, Black Gilliflower, Limbertwig, Smokehouse, Willow Twig, King of the Pippins, Plumb Cider, and Somerset Redstreak.
Garin Barn Roof, Hill, and Apples
Old Barn Rafters
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