Autumn Series - Apple Harvesting

"Sam was chewing an apple thoughtfully. He had a pocket full of them; a parting gift from Nob and Bob. 'Apples for walking, and a pipe for sitting,' he said. 'But I reckon I'll miss them both before long.'"

-J.R.R. Tolkien,  The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Knife in the Dark"

Sometimes, I swear that I was a Hobbit in another life. Cooking has been one of my growing hobbies the past few years, and I've discovered many fragrant uses for apples. Apple crisp, apple crumble, apple cobbler, apple pies, apple spiced muffins, and my personal favorite, homemade cider. I can only imagine what the Hobbits of Middle-Earth do with their apples during harvesting season. These wonderfully sweet or tart fruits have worked their way deep into the staple dietary foods of the Shire, as referenced by Samwise's recited proverb. In the game, you can find lush orchards in your travels from Oatbarton to Hobbiton. Even my characters never go anywhere without those delicious Apple and Cheese Pies!

Did you know that a pippin, the nickname of Peregrin Took, is a sweet dessert apple from the UK? Also, in the ninth volume of The History of Middle Earth, Sauron Defeated, it's mentioned that the Sindarin translation of Pippin is Cordof, which means "small red apple."

To tell you the truth, I never expected the Common Long-sleeved Dress to look so good. Normally, it's bland, and most of all, tattered and torn. However, when I dyed it a brilliant green, the waist looked like it had leaves wrapped around it and the stitching became the veins of the leaves. Talk about unexpected inspiration! Even though Harvestmath is over, and you can't barter for those festival pieces with tokens anymore, all of these can be found on the auction house with enough dedicated searching. Hopefully those shoulders aren't too costly for those of you with low level characters. Do what I do...poke around and see if your friends have loanable unbound cosmetics that you can add to your wardrobe or your outfit slots. I've lent out those shoulders on at least half a dozen occasions!

A while back, I had expressed the desire to build outfits keeping the starter characters in mind. I'm slowly getting there! Even tough some of these pieces are seasonal, they're available after finishing the intro quests : )

Shoulders: Gwir-palvais (Rivendell green, Isen 3-man instance cluster reward)

Back: Cloak of the Falling Leaves (Forest green, Fall Festival barter item)

Chest: Common Long-sleeved Dress (Forest green, outfitter vendor item)

Prop: Basket of Apples (Fall Festival barter item)