We are on our way home from a fantastic road trip. We plan to make one more overnight stop and sleep on the east slope of the Cascades before making the short trip home tomorrow. Our stop is one we look forward to each year. Last year, we made a trip over the mountains to visit the fruit stands and pick up a case of apples. This year, we are early enough to get peaches and a few apricots as well.

After flowing north for a significant distance in British Columbia, the Columbia River enters the United States in northeastern Washington. It flows through eastern and central Washington, taking a curving route next to the Cascades between Wenatchee and Yakima before turning West and forming the border between Washington and Oregon. This winding path through Washington offers water for irrigation. The unique weather of the Cascade Mountains makes the area around Wenatchee a perfect place to raise apples.

We’ve been traveling through the area for many years since our son and daughter-in-law moved to western Washington. Now that we live in the Pacific Northwest, we have our favorite fruit stands.

One of the things that has changed significantly since we first visited the fruit country of the east slope of the Cascades is the varieties of apples grown. When you think of apples, the Macintosh comes to mind as an iconic red apple. It has thick skin and travels well, which is why the variety was so popular among grocers. The tough skin also makes the variety suitable for baking, though many prefer a tart apple, such as the green Granny Smith, for baking.

For many years, my preferred variety for eating was the Gala. It travels well and keeps fresh for a long time. I can purchase a case, and as long as I keep them cool, they last well until we have eaten them all. Then Honey Crisps made their debut, and sometimes I find a good buy on a case of them. This year I’ll be looking at some of he newer varieties such as the SweeTango and Cosmic Crisps. The newer varieties are often more challenging to grow and produce less fruit per acre, resulting in higher prices, but I’m willing to pay for good apples.

Our son’s orchard on the other side of the Cascades produces lots of Golden Delicious apples so that we won’t be purchasing any of that variety.

When I go into the fruit stands, it is no longer a case of looking at the boxes of apples and selecting the ones with the best price. I have learned a bit about different varieties and am more adventurous in my selection of fruit. It is a sign of the abundance of fruit close to our home. We are fortunate to live in an area with excellent access to fruit. The bounty of the earth continues to surprise and delight us.

I know very little about growing apples, but altitude, temperature, day length, and access to water are all factors in a complex process. Fruit growers have to become experts in pollination, diseases, and pests.

It is not just apples that we will be seeking, however. The Wenatchee area produces a wide variety of peaches. We generally are looking for traditional round fruit rather than flat doughnut peaches. Frost, Red Haven, and Contender are the most common, with a list of additional varieties grown by various orchards in the area.

Fruit varieties are now frequently patented. How would the vast array of varieties and the complexities of marketing seem to Johnny Appleseed? Johnny Appleseed stories are based on the real life of John Chapman, who traveled throughout what was then known as the West planting apple trees. He never traveled as far as the Mississippi River. He established nurseries in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois. His vision was to plant so many apple seeds and grow so many trees so that no one would go hungry. His vision was expanded and became a reality as the heartland of the United States became a place of agricultural production that feeds the world. Not all of that production, however, has been gentle on the land. Modern agriculture has a massive carbon footprint. Fossil fuels are consumed by machinery and in the production of fertilizers. Huge farms are not always as wise about soil stewardship as they were when most farms were small family operations.

I’ve been told that individuals can do more to reduce climate impact by their choices of food than by their choices of automobiles. Much of the food that is sold in modern supermarkets has traveled long distances. Many foods are produced on farms that are geared to short-term profits. Producing and consuming food can be a form of extraction.

As we shop for fruit, we are also learning about how it is produced. Smaller fruit stands located close to the orchards are sources not only of local fruit, but also of information about how it is grown. As we seek to be responsible consumers, we are learning about the food we eat.

Our fruit buying comes at the end of a delightful trip that has taken us across five states. For the most part, we have traveled routes that are familiar to us. There have been other trips, and there will be future trips where we explore new areas. This summer, however, our travels have brought us wonderful times with friends and family. Now our trip offers us the opportunity to pick up some delicious food for our family. We are indeed blessed.