Apple Harvest Festival weekend
09 October 2005 | filed under General, Ithaca InformationUnfortunately this weekend marks the first real chill of fall, which means the balloon game and ferris wheel on Cayuga Street aren’t doing much business. At the moment the temperature is 42F/6C - yikes!
The rain didn’t stop some people yesterday from touring the Commons, browsing tables of goodies made from apples. We picked up a half-peck of macoun apples from the Cornell Plantations stand. I think a half-peck is five pounds, but I’ve never heard the term before so can’t be sure. I know it was enough to make 4 1/2 pints of delicious apple butter! I used Elise’s recipe at Simply Recipes and highly recommend it if you’re in the mood for canning. YUM! We also bought a mini apple pie from the Amish booth.
Yesterday was also the opening of the fall Friends of the Library book sale - “One of the largest book sales in the country, with nearly 250,000 selections which are collected over a 10 month period.” We arrived around 8:30 and waited in line for about 1/2 hour to get in. I overheard the line monitor say that some diehards started lining up at 4am! The used booksellers in town show up first thing to snap up the best deals. Matt saw a guy with a handheld scanner, entering all the book UPC’s for whatever reason. Small paperbacks are $2 and trade’s and hardcovers are $4.50. Hot deals! We got out for 26 bucks, definitely a feat for Matt who eats books for breakfast :O)
After the book sale we tried dim sum at Hai Hong restaurant, which runs on weekends from 11am-2pm. My favorites were the crab-stuffed shrimp ball and sweet red bean paste-filled sesame balls.
I’m hoping the rain lifts later in the week so I can take a drive out to Taughannock and Treman falls for some fall foliage photo sessions. Next week is apparently peak color time and all the rain makes for better falls.



We should get some lunch sometime - the dim sum review just made me hungry (at 1am!).
comment by Dave M. on 13 October 2005 at 12:54 am
Hope you get some good pictures! You going to post any if you do?
comment by Fred on 14 October 2005 at 10:39 am
I will post some Fred! I haven’t gone out to the falls yet, but will in the next couple of days. I’ve just gone up Cascadilla Gorge this week to take pics. I don’t think the colours are as spectacular as we saw last year, maybe it’s got something to do with the incredibly hot summer we had.
comment by Tiffany on 17 October 2005 at 11:31 am
Missed apple fest. =\
Remember last year, my parents visited that weekend. Eh. A lotta apples.
And I keep meaning to go to the book sale too, but never have. Next year, definitely. *rollie eye face*
comment by Zeke on 18 October 2005 at 1:06 pm