Of course, one way to celebrate naturally NC is by harvesting its bounty, right?

Let's head to Sky Top Orchard in Flat Rock, where the apples are ready to pick.

[warm comfortable music] - I started this orchard with my father in 1967.

It was put in as a commercial orchard.

My wife had the idea in 1980 to switch it over from a commercial orchard that sold directly to grocery stores, to a u-pick orchard.

And that's what we do now, sell to the public.

They come up, have fun, pick apples, visit with us on the mountaintop.

- There are so many special things about being up at Sky Top.

One of the things is a lot of people these days have become disconnected from their food sources.

Coming back to the orchard, being out in nature, picking it yourself just has a different special experience that you don't get at the grocery store.

Additionally, coming out with your families and your friends, you make the family memories and then you have produce to show for it to take home and enjoy.

- We grow about 30 varieties.

The most popular, of course, is the Honeycrisp, also Galas when we first open up.

And then midseason, we grow a lot of the traditionals, so we have a variety of fruit whenever you decide to come.

- So you can come, you can sample all the different varieties we have in the fruit stand.

Once you pay, you get a bag, you go out with your friends and family.

We teach you the proper way.

It's really to take the apple, hold it gently, but firmly, twist it and pull down.

We let you go and roam, that's the fun part of it here.

We really want you to go out and explore.

So here at Sky Top we prioritize that.

- I think the first encounter we had with the orchard was when the kids were in preschool.

After that, we've come every year and it's sort of a rite of passage in the fall.

You know, it's fall and the school's starting back when we come up and pick apples.

- So many families, especially elementary school kids, go to grocery stores and they just don't see where produce comes from.

Here at Sky Top, my parents have always really prioritized the education component, and we wanna continue that with our school trips and our field trips.

They also can come enjoy all the activities we have on the farm, bee trains, hay rides, to see the property in a different way.

We've also added an apple cannon where you can shoot an apple across our pond to a target, which is really fun.

And gem mining.

So we are apple's first here at Sky Top, we are the educational component first, but we also have activities for families to enjoy together.

- It's just a nice atmosphere, family friendly, it's safe, it's welcoming.

You can go at your own pace.

There's no pressure to it.

So it's just relaxing to get out into the nature and the mountains and have a good time in what is really one of the hearts of this community.

[bright upbeat music] - We have the same people year after year.

I have my family members helping me, which is a real plus.

A lot of our staff has been with us for many, many years, so they're knowledgeable about apples.

So we try to be full service to our customers.

- Our apple cider doughnuts are one of the biggest hits of the orchard.

You know, people come for the apples, they come for the u-pick, but we joke now that they just come for the doughnuts, honestly.

Our doughnuts are special mainly because of our cider.

And we've been working for years on perfecting our cider.

And honestly, what makes our cider so good is the mix of all the different varieties we put in it.

So putting that into the doughnuts is just really what makes them shine.

- The ante was, if you came to the orchard and you didn't get the doughnuts, you're probably gonna have to come back and get the doughnuts.

It's just been a staple in our lives that it's just something that yearly, we come up and see the beauty and enjoy the apples.

- My favorite thing, honestly, besides the apples and the apple cider and the doughnuts, is the cart ride around the orchard.

It's something that is extra fun for the children, the whole family can do.

And it's sort of exciting going up and down the hills.

[laughs] It's a lot of fun.

- Like my wife says, it's the family memories we've made for people over this 42 years.

People have come up when they were children, now they're bringing their children back.

I guess the most rewarding part is a lot of family memories have been made here, a lot of reunions.

Raising apples is enjoyable too.

On good years like this, when the crop is so bountiful, it's really fulfilling.

- [Deborah] Sky Top Orchard is at 1193 Pinnacle Road in Flat Rock, and they're open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, give them a call at [828] 692-7930 or visit their website at skytoporchard.com.