See what I did there?! Who remembers that game as a kid? All those little cherries in a bucket...am I the only one? Not gonna lie, this game was on my mind all day Saturday when I finally...for the first time....went to pick cherries!!
Now, I should mention...prior to this trip I wasn't a huge fresh cherry kinda gal. I honestly just wanted to go on this adventure to get out of town and take my mind off of other things that have been occupying space for a bit. So, when my girlfriend last minute suggested a jaunt to Charlottesville...I immediately said "YES!"
I think my lack of enthusiasm for the red fruit stems back to the one time I had a sampling and it was sour. Sorry....Jenn doesn't like sour...at all. Now, cherry pie at Christmas time with the fruit coming straight outta the can? That's my jam! It's actually one of my favorite parts of Christmas:)
So, back to our little adventure. We got up unusually early for a Saturday morning and hit the road at 7am. It's about a 2.5 hour ride to the orchards near Charlottesville, VA. A lovely time to catch up on life's happenings and enjoy some beautiful scenery on the way. Our first stop was at Spring Valley Orchard. What a great experience!
Upon arrival we were met by this fantastic guy...kinda hippy and extremely friendly! He directed us on where to park and then where to go to get our baskets. We were asked to wash our hands at a communal sink before embarking onto the actual orchard and touching the fruit. A much appreciated request in these uncertain times of COVID-19.
The orchards were immaculate....you would never know that just the day before there were humans trampling around picking before you! Because we arrived early, there weren't a lot of people and we had a good 1.5 hours to just wander and take pictures, pick fruit and steal a taste or two;)
Next up, we headed to the Bold Rock Brewery for lunch and to pick up a few six-packs;) I'm not a big drinker....especially beer. I was introduced to Not Your Father's Root Beer this past year and I love that....and hard cider. Bold Rock is a great brand and their flavors are subtle...they don't smack you upside the head which I appreciate. Lunch was delicious and we each enjoyed the new pineapple flavor:)
After lunch, our final destination of the day were the Chiles Peach Orchards...about a 30 minute ride in Crozet, VA. Another top notch establishment with beautiful orchards and even though it was later in the day... the crowds weren't bad at all. The longest line of the day was the line to get ice cream!! Once the afternoon heat hit us, we both decided the wait was worth it and boy oh boy was it! Vanilla and Peach swirl was just what we needed to end this great day.
Hope you enjoyed our Saturday adventure as much as we did! It was the first time I broke out the big camera and it was refreshing to use it again. Expect to see a lot more images from my Canon in the near future:)
Have a great week friends!
Jenn xo
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