Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the last destination I visited before the coronavirus lockdown. I went for a travel conference, and honestly wasn’t expecting too much from the city. But I was wrong. The revitalized and clean downtown really impressed me. I found fantastic interactive museums, an old and new capitol building, and a lively spirit that flowed through the city, likely due to hometown Louisiana State University’s (LSU) football team winning the National Championship.
Although no one is cruising during the coronavirus pandemic, I know many folks are ready to get back on a boat. Hopefully travel will return in the summer or fall of 2020.
When it comes to apples in the South, a visit to Hendersonville, North Carolina, is in order. The small city near Asheville ranks as the seventh-largest producer of apples in America. Who knew? Apparently, William Mills, one of the original settlers to the area, planted hundreds of apple trees around 1800. The fertile fields helped nurture the crops, and for decades growers sold their apples to wholesale buyers who made the fruit into applesauce, apple juice and other products. But, some of the buyers moved on, and today, many of the farmers sell their produce directly to consumers. And invite them to their farms.
I was asked to participate in an agritourism tour in Hendersonville, and being fond of apples, accepted.
Continue reading When You’ve Got Apples, Bake an Apple Raspberry Pie