First Apples — Donna Hopkins

*Apple Nestled in Freshly Cut Grass | Grelen Orchard | Somerset, Virginia | August 2025*

*Greenhouse Ferns | The Market at Grelen | Somerset, Virginia | August 2025*

In the greenhouse, I take pictures of the garden essentials. The soil, the clippers, the pots. It’s hot inside; perspiration slides down my back as I try to hold the camera steadily. There is a slight breeze from an indoor fan. In the background, I hear two ladies talking to my husband and about how much they love this place. I love it, too. I make a note to sign up for a holiday wreath making class at this nursery.

*Pruning Shears | Grelen Nursery | Somerset, Virginia | August 2025*

I have walked miles in orchards and tried many different approaches to taking pictures of apples and peaches. All with mixed results. The best pictures depend on a certain degree of happenstance where the light is gorgeous and the fruit is lush. Where the orchard is quiet and the grass is soft. Where someone has left behind a ladder or maybe a basket. Where the fallen fruit has begun to decay. Where abundance spreads like a canopy in the sky above and a blanket on the earth below.