THIS WEEK, a few lucky apples and a jug of cider climbed Libe Slope for a hilltop tour of Cornell.  We wanted them to get comfortable with the campus experience.  They and many of their friends will say goodbye to the farm this weekend, bound for a higher education at Cornell, IC, Wells, Cortland, and other local colleges.

That’s because college students can get a 1/2-peck of u-pick apples and a 1/2-gallon of cider for just $10!  Students, come wander the orchards and save a few bucks with your student ID Friday through Sunday.

Little did we know that the Spy family—Prairie Spy, Northern Spy, and Spigold—had tailed us and was hiding in the ivy.  More about these dubious specimens shortly.

The Vintage Orchard is in peak form.  Hundreds of trees are heavy with classic varieties, and the $24 bushel sale continues.

We need your help—find these varieties with our color coding system.  Ribbons a-fluttering in the breeze.

The Dwarf Orchard is ABSOLUTELY POPPING with apples, including the Spy family in Rows 13 and 14.  Grab a map and go!

These gorgeous pumpkins will be meaningless on October 32nd.  Carve one soon, Halloween is round the corner.

With so many to choose from, simply find the one that speaks to you.  The super-smooth friend you’ve always dreamed of, the one who makes problems vanish.

We thought about pre-carved pumpkins, but we just couldn’t modify the genes in time for planting.  Maybe next year.

Apple cider donuts are usually sizzling on weekends 10 AM to 5 PM.  It’s all up to a 13-year-old wizard with a full social calendar.

The stand is like an apple fortune cookie this time of year.  “SIR PRIZE!  You will marry a WEALTHY SPOKANE BEAUTY with a HOLIDAY SUNTAN when you go to CORTLAND for your SWEET 16 and you will call her HONEYCRISP.”

Spokane Beauty is the She-Goliath of the apples.  We fully expect her to crush the competition like our own Lewis Billy did.

But it won’t be easy.  The “Rescue” pear is a titan who towers over Bartletts and other common varieties.

The stand still shows the colors of summer produce—though fall squashes are creeping in and you better act fast for tomatoes.

Farmer Natasha caught a mouse this week.  Just for a plaything.  She’ll be taking a few weeks’ vacation now.

Farmer Henry learned to cut his first flowers.  There are still zinnias and other u-pick flowers, but don’t wait long.

These farmer gals experimented with adaptive reuse of jute sacks.  The innovation never stops in farm country.

We are happy to report that the ecosystem in the back of George Jones is flourishing.  Bees, mosses, and mattresses.

And there are the Spies again, just lurking around the farm.  Are they bad apples?  Or are they safeguarding the fruits of democracy from shadowy figures in hoodies?  “See” you at The ‘Creek.