KENTUCKY

Kentucky is a surprising blend of history, beautiful landscape, and more history. Okay, I’ll admit it. There are more pick-up trucks containing a dead deer here than other places. And it can be a little difficult understanding waitresses with twangs so thick, you’d swear they have a mouth full of grits. But the people are friendly, even to weird Californians, the food is great, and prices are reasonable.

Speaking of good food, we ate lunch at China Moon, one of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. It’s in Louisville (pronounced here as “Lu-vul) and overlooks a wooded area. If you’re ever in that area, it’s well worth a visit. Try the sweet and sour chicken, the crab and goat cheese wontons, or the beef broccoli. De-licious!

This is the fall, and what would a trip to America’s heartland be without a visit to a pumpkin farm and apple orchard. We spent the day with our son, Gary, and daughter-in-law, Marcella, who moved from California to Kentucky seven years ago. Huber Farms is about a 30-minute drive into the Indiana countryside. The fields of corn have turned to gold. Tall brittle stalks make a clattering sound in the wind.

Gary & Cella at Huber Farms

I thought that corn was harvested in the summer, when the ears were picked. But around these parts, the kernels are allowed to dry naturally on the cob. Then they’re harvested and used to make products like cornmeal and cornflour, which are used to make everything from cornbread to corn fritters. Fields are demarked by black fences, rather than the white fences seen in most parts of the country. The barns are black, too, often displaying a decorative quilt on one of the outside walls.

Rick & Colleen at Huber Farms

Why black paint on the barns, instead of the familiar red color we’re all familiar with? While I couldn’t get a definitive answer about the black fences, I did find out that the barns are black to attract heat needed to properly dry the big tobacco leaves that hang in racks inside.

HUBER FARM

Donuts, fudge, apple cider, hand-dipped caramel apples, popcorn, and cases filled with baked goods awaited us visitors. The donuts were made with fresh cider and were hot from the deep fryer. Rick ordered a ½ dozen and consumed most of them on the spot! He bought another ½ dozen to take home. (Okay, I had two, but they were very small. Honest!) There were gift shops, piles of pumpkins, baskets of apples, hayrides, and just about everything else fall-related that you can imagine.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Between the pumpkin fudge, pumpkin bread, apple cider, and hanging around all of the Halloween decorations and scarecrows, I’ve received my much-needed “fall-fix!”