Eating In is back, after a brief hiatus, just in time to take advantage of fall ingredients. Now that it’s cooled off, at least a little, we are finally in the mood for pumpkin, squash, apples, and cinnamon spice. Rather than just going to our local farmers’ market to pick up our produce, we decided to go straight to the source — the orchard.

Within a one-hour drive from the city, you can find some of Virginia’s best farms, vineyards, and orchards. We went with Stribling Orchard in Markham, VA, where you are able to drive into the orchard to pick your own apples. They also have a small store where you can buy spreads, sauces, and baked goods, as well as a section to pick up a pumpkin–like a patch, but not so patchy. Since we are mid-picking season, not all apples were available. We were able to score some sweet Golden Delicious and some tart Yorks. After all your picking is done you have a whole drive home to contemplate what’s for dinner, and maybe munch on an apple or two.

Instead of doing some classic favorites, like Roasted Pork Chops with homemade applesauce, we decided to accent the apples in a different way. Not wanting to lose focus of the apple, we chose a delicate fish to pair with our apple stuffing. Although the two main components of this dish are fish and apples, we must warn you it is far from healthy. Here we stuff the sole with an apple, breadcrumb, and butter mixture and served it up with a side of fingerling potatoes simmered in cream. We figured going into winter (or the upcoming week of summery weather) with a little extra fat couldn’t hurt. You can certainly substitute milk instead of cream to reduce the calories, but it will result in a slightly different texture. We finished everything with tarragon and sunflower seeds and paired it with a mineral-driven Chardonnay from Burgundy. This recipe serves 4 people.

To find the orchard for you, check out Virginia Apples; always call ahead for the latest picking status.