I know it’s really fall when I see that giant red apple floating high above the Portland Nursery. It’s Apple Festival time!
The nursery is close to our house, so we visit often during the festival (Oct. 10-12 and 17-19 this year). It’s a treat to taste over 60 varieties of local apples and pears (grown in the Hood River Valley) but it’s also a great way to celebrate all things autumn. There’s freshly pressed apple cider, apple strudel with ice cream, free popcorn and cooking demonstrations by local chefs.
Kids’ activities are plentiful, from storytelling and face painting to making pine cone bird feeders, painting pumpkins and completing a scavenger hunt to earn a small treat. This year the nursery sponsored a scarecrow contest so be sure to check those out, and don’t forget to bring some canned food for the Portland Impact food drive.
Live music adds to the festive atmosphere and there are great deals on a huge selection of apples and pears. (It’s $0.89 per pound for apples and pears, $0.99 per pound for Asian pears, with a portion of the sales going to Elders in Action.) The fruit bins are labeled so you can tell which are good for poaching, baking, drying, cooking and making sauces as well as just plain fresh eating and storing.
We usually walk by the nursery on our way home from school during the week or two after the festival to pick up more apples and pears. I love to find new ways to use them once we’ve exhausted our appetites for apple pie, pear crisp, baked apples and bread pudding. (If you have any good apple or pear recipes, please post them below as a comment!)
Portland Nursery is located at 5050 SE Stark. www.portlandnursery.com/events/appletasting.shtml
posted by Emily

October 12th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent