Zelf Pluk-ing

I've been asking around about Apple Orchards- it is in our Minnesotan blood to want to get some fresh apples, pumpkins and maybe some local wine! I was told that the Dutch usually visit orchards in the spring to get berries and apples.  I couldn't take no for an answer.

Three google searches and 10 google translates later... I found it! Landgoed De Olmenhorst (The Olmenhorst Estate).

Here's how we got there:

• Tram 3 from our place to Den Haag Centraal (10 min)
• Hopped a train to Leiden Centraal. For all the Hayne family members: this is where the Factor V Leiden mutation was discovered....at the medical center- not at the train station. (15 min)
• Up the same track (spoor) to an inter-city train to Nieuw Vennep station (10 minutes)
• Hop on bus 59 (leaving right as we got there- great timing! love zero wait time) to Bruidsbloemstraat (10 min)
• Walk ~500 meters to the orchard (10 minutes)

Another dog-friendly outing! He travels really well and gets excited to ride the trams and trains.  He's comfortable anywhere he can lay around!

We followed the zelfpluk signs (pick-your-own-apples: directly translates to "themselves picking") and got our plastic bags.  It was muddy, but sunny and cool (maybe 55 degrees) and we had a good time taste-testing as we went along.  Adam did the grunt work and I took pictures (nothing new there).

Turns out he likes crunchy apples, too.

The weight-and-pay stand.  This guy had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  Glad it was outside! We got 11.5 Kilo (25 pounds) of apples for 15 Euro ($20).  This is a steal and we might have to live off of apples and my free veggie boxes from work for the next year.

We couldn't wait for a caramel apple.  Well, I'm still waiting.  The Dutch (at least at this place) prefer chocolate apples.  You could dip it in white, dark, or milk chocolate and add toppings (like for ice-cream sundaes!)  Adam picked sprinkles and some chopped nuts.

I never found any squash or pumpkins, either.  Just some pony rides and apple beer.  Of course Adam just HAD to go on a pony ride and I just HAD to get apple beer.

It looks better than it tastes.  The chocolate was in warm melting pans so it was pretty runny.  We sat with an Italian family of 5 kids + Mom + Grandma and the kids had milk chocolate all over their faces, coats, and clothes!!







My new favorite picture of us!

And it was so exhausting Milo slept the whole way home!  Now he and Adam are both napping on the couch.

I've been to orchards so many times...but just like with most regular day-to-day things here, it tends to be an adventure travel-wise and also culture-wise.  Today we had to add language-wise.  Most times we travel to see something within the country it is a tourist place and everybody speaks English.  I realized today how much Dutch we can understand.  We made it through the day without having to ask for it in English ;)  Lekker!