I was reading Polly’s blog the other day and learned about a place I’d never heard of before: Christ Orchard (“Christ” is pronounced with a short “i” as in “Chris”). To get there from Bradley, you take Farmington Road about 14 miles to Texas Road, turn right and go three miles — it’s on the left.

Great place! Much smaller than Tanners, and maybe a little smaller than Apple Blossom Farm. The whole experience was like going to a friend’s or relative’s house who lives on a farm. In fact, it kind of reminded me of going to visit my great-uncles and great-grandmother on the farm when I was a kid.

When we arrived, we pulled into the driveway — there isn’t really what one would call a “parking lot.” They had wagons available for hauling around apples, pumpkins, and/or flowers. When we walked up to the “store”– which was more like a large, nicely decorated garage — we were greeted by a nice young lady who helped us find just the right apples for making homemade applesauce (my wife’s specialty). She also informed us that there was a free hayrack ride for the kids (my kids loved it). And her little sister, who was four, made fast friends with my oldest daughter (who is five). They spent the whole time playing together, petting the animals, helping one of the guys put out squash for sale, and generally having a wonderful time. She even gave my daughter a flower before she left.

My wife was most impressed with their prices on apples. A half-bushel is only $14-16 at Christ, whereas at Tanners it’s $18-20. But it doesn’t stop there. When she mentioned that she was going to make applesauce with them, the good people at Christ told her about their “seconds.” Apparently, they divide their apples into those that look perfect — “firsts” — and those that are slightly imperfect — “seconds.” Basically, the “seconds” are fine for baking but not pretty enough for presentation. The best part: “seconds” are only $8 for a half-bushel. So for the price of a half-bushel at Tanners, my wife got a whole bushel at Christ!

I’m not anti-Tanners like Polly. It’s a great place, too, and I think their apple cider has more kick to it than Christ’s does. But that said, I like Christ’s better — it’s closer to home (important factor with gas prices as high as they are!), cheaper, more friendly, and their apples are just as good as Tanners. In fact, my wife commented that their bags of apples have larger apples in them than Tanners. That’s a big plus when you have to peel them all to make applesauce.

Well, we’re hooked. We’ll definitely be going back there in the future. I encourage you to check it out!