Carver's Orchard and Applehouse Restaurant | Cosby, TN

Desperate to do something fall-related to kick off my favorite time of the year (not to mention the most beautiful season in Tennessee), we loaded up with some friends and headed to Cosby, TN to check out Carver's Orchard (that link'll take you to their Facebook page!)

Part of the orchard is accessible from the parking lot, so we spent a few minutes wandering around and taking photos.

My cutie patootie husband!

More cutie patooties, our great friends Kara & Remington (they are fellow bloggers, too!  Check 'em out!)

There were bushel baskets sitting around in the orchard with pumpkins that didn't make the cut to be sold in the market.

I just liked the way the weathered baskets looked, m'self.

 

 

Once you're finished exploring outside, it's time to hit the market for the shopping!  The stars of the show here are, obviously, the apples, and they come in so many varieties I didn't know where to start!  A handy calendar is bolted to the wall that displays which apples are in season at different times of the year.  The apples are separated by type and if you're not sure of the flavor differences, most of the signs give you an idea of their texture or sweetness.

I loved the look of the pretty bushel baskets sitting around, chock full of juicy apples!  We brought home a ½ peck of Ambrosia apples, and I've been eating them with my lunch this week.  They beat the pants off of the grocery store apples that are a part of our weekly shopping list.  Perfect sweetness, so crisp, not a hint of mealy-ness.  Perfection.  Too bad Cosby is more than an hour away from us, or this place would become my exclusive apple vendor!

You can watch the apples get sorted as they're brought in off of the trucks.  So cool!

In the Fall, Carver's is full of decorative items such as Indian corn, decorative mini pumpkins and squash, cheese pumpkins (the flat and pale ones - I just learned their name!), and some of the most gorgeous full size pumpkins I've seen so far this year!

You can also purchase mums in all different colors!

Some others things you can find in the market:

- Fresh ciders
- Flavored syrups
- Apple butter (of course)
- Fresh jams, jellies, and preserves
- 100% sorghum (I totally bought a jar of this delicious nectar!)
- Various seasonal produce (peppers, sweet potatoes, onions, butternut squash, beans, watermelons, tomatoes, etc, depending on when you go!)
- Sauces and dressings

... and more!

Tucked away in a corner of the market, you can purchase some delicious homemade fried apple pies and hot cider.  We certainly weren't going to pass these babies up!

Matt and I split a pie and a cider, and oh man it was delicious.  The pie shell was perfectly fried and wasn't even the slightest bit greasy.  The filling was smooth, hot, and oh so yummy yums.

If you're heading to Carver's with an empty tummy, have no fear, because the Applehouse Restaurant is a Cosby staple where you can find all kinds of Southern fare such as chicken 'n dumplings, apple fritters, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and more!  We didn't get a chance to check out the restaurant during this trip, but we certainly will the next time I need to come load up on more delicious apples. 🙂

All in all, it was a great way to kick off the fall season, and reminded us of some of the best restaurants in Italy we've tried when we went there last year all over again.  We're finally starting to see a significant drop in temperature around here, and I couldn't be more giddy!  Just another couple of weeks and we should be bursting with fall color!  And you know what that means... leather boots, leggings, sweaters, pretty coats, and all of the pumpkin and apple cinnamon you can handle.

It's fall!!

Find Carver's Orchard and Applehouse Restaurant on Facebook and their website.