It was a cool, brisk afternoon as signs of autumn were quickly approaching. The sun was out, the sky was bright blue, and it was a great day for apple picking. Yes, apple picking! Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Livesay Orchards in Porter with coworker Meriruth and a few friends.

The fact that this sign was made for people much shorter (perhaps, younger) than us, didn't deter us from taking a goofy picture to commemorate our day at the farm.

Livesay Orchards, which I learned is pronounced Liv-Eh-See, has a bounty of things to offer including a pumpkin patch, kids activities, pony rides, a farm market and store, as well as U-Pick peaches and apples. Livesay is the only U-Pick apple farm in the Oklahoma Agritourism program!

There are plenty of apples ready to go if you don't have time to pick your own.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Sarah, a Livesay employee, who was so kind and helpful. After looking around the incredible farm market for a bit, which included many vegetables, pumpkins and canned products, we decided it was time to head to the field. Sarah gave us a bucket for our apples and a map of the field. We were off to pick!

There were so many trees in the orchard! However, the apple varieties ripen at different times during the fall. When we visited, we knew we were on the hunt for Granny Smiths and Fugis.

The trees we found were still full of beautiful, juicy apples.

Livesay grows several kinds of apples, including Granny Smith, Fuji, Black Arkansas, Pink Lady and more, so we had plenty of options to choose from. My favorite was the Fuji. After filling our buckets, we headed back to the farm market to check out. I bought some grape tomatoes in addition to the apples.

We couldn't help ourselves and started eating the tomatoes I bought before we pulled out of the driveway. So full of flavor! There really is nothing like homegrown tomatoes.

The Granny Smith variety is bright green and perfectly tart.

The Fugi apples are crisp and sweet with a pinkish hue.

While picking, we came across this incredibly intricate and tiny bird nest. We love finding nature surprises on our Agritourism adventures!

After leaving the farm market, we ventured a few miles down the road to the Peach Barn Orchard and Bakery, also owned by the Livesay family. The smell of baked goods and cinnamon filled the air and was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. After looking around the store, I purchased some fresh-made apple pies and cinnamon pecans.

Once you get a whiff of this place, you are rendered helpless against the urge to buy pies. And good luck deciding which flavor. One of each is my recommendation.

Much like the tomatoes, the pecans I bought didn't make it back to the house either. But, to be fair, it was a long drive.

Just in case you didn't buy the veggies or apples you needed at the orchard, the Peach Barn has a full selection of everything grown on the farm.

My visit to Livesay Orchards was so much fun. It was wonderful to get away from the everyday busyness and spend some time outdoors picking apples, which I had not done before. I enjoyed the peace and quiet at Livesay, with views of ponds, birds and a tractor at work in the distance. Livesay Orchards and the Peach Barn are open seasonally, to find hours and what is available, click on their names for a link to their website.