🍎 Apples, pumpkins & ghosts

Good Monday morning!

🍂 Fall air has arrived. Mostly sunny and a high around 70.

🎶 Sounds like: "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young.

This newsletter is 934 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Peak apple picking season has arrived in Minnesota.

The big picture: While it hasn't felt like fall until now, many local varieties are ready to harvest in mid- to late-September.

State of play: Among the apples ready now are Honeycrisps, which ripen right in the middle of the typical picking period.

• "To me, this is the peak of the season," David Bedford, a senior research fellow specializing in apple breeding at the University of Minnesota, told Axios."That's right where we are."

Driving the timing: While weather and rain can impact the quality of the apples, one of the biggest factors behind the picking window is the timing of the spring bloom.

• "That's when the train leaves the station," Bedford said. "That determines when the fruit ripens."

What we're hearing: This year's bloom hit around its typical time, meaning we're in for a relatively normal fall for apples.

• Plus: The apples appear to have responded well to the warm, rainy summer.

What they're saying: "This has been a good summer, and what that means is that the size is good, the texture is good, and the plants are happy," Bedford said.

Threat level: A hard freeze can damage the fruit, so it's best to go before overnight temperatures dip to those levels.

• A good "end" date to keep in mind is Oct. 20, but it could always happen sooner.

Between the lines: Minnesota's cold climate makes it an ideal place to grow Honeycrisps, so if you want the best flavors this fall, buy local.

• Apples typically aren't labeled beyond their country of origin, but many local grocers advertise when they're Minnesota grown.

If you go: Plenty of local orchards allow patrons to pick their own and pay by the pound, along with offering other fall food and activities.

• Different apples ripen at different times and most orchards will only offer a few types to pick yourself.
• So it's good to research the options if you're looking for something specific.

Make your plans with our full list of 21 apple orchards near the Twin Cities.

Share this story with a fruit lover

Fall began yesterday and that means Minnesotans have three months (or six weeks if we're being honest) of nice weather to get out and soak it up.

Driving the news: We've put together a fall bingo card for adventurous readers. The first one to get four in a row — up, down or across — will win an Axios Twin Cities tote bag.

How it works: Generate your own digital bingo card (or print one out) at this link.

• Send us your completed cards by replying this email.

Need some inspiration? Here are some helpful Axios guides and other links.

🎃 Seven pumpkin patches to visit

👻 Five haunted Halloween attractions in the Twin Cities

🍕 Three pizza farms to visit

🏕 Tips for camping with little kids

🥾 Great hikes around the Twin Cities

🍁 Minnesota DNR's fall color map is updated regularly.

🏈 Schedules: Vikings; Lynx; Twins; Gophers football

Get playing!

🇮🇪 Gov. Tim Walz's office confirmed to Axios that it has canceled plans for a November trade trip to Ireland and the Netherlands. (Axios Twin Cities)

• The trip, scheduled before Walz joined the Democratic presidential ticket, was intended to strengthen economic ties with the countries.

👀 A new Minnesota Poll shows Vice President Harris leading former President Trump 48% to 43%, with about 7% of voters undecided. That lead is within the poll's margin of error. (MPR News)

🦠 A measles outbreak in Hennepin County has spread to an unnamed elementary school in Minneapolis amid concerns about decreasing vaccination rates in schools statewide. (Sahan Journal)

🗳️ Faribault County officials misprinted 17 ballots, switching the political party labels next to incumbent state Rep. Peggy Bennett, a Republican, and her DFL challenger Joe Staloch. (Star Tribune)

• In a statement, Secretary of State Steve Simon noted that counties are responsible for proofing and printing ballots, rebuffing a statement from Bennett that blamed his office.

Uber unveiled new features designed to help make the driver and courier experience safer, fairer and easier.

• An example: The national expansion of enhanced rider verification lets drivers know more about who's getting into their car.

The result: An experience drivers only find with Uber.

Learn more.

The giant loon sculpture near Allianz Field in St. Paul is beginning to look flightworthy.

Why it matters: The art installation is one of the first visible signs of progress in the long-awaited development that Minnesota United FC owner Bill McGuire has been planning around his team's home stadium.

What we're watching: Where they mount the laser that's supposed to shoot out of its eyes. (Editor's note: This is a joke.)

Empower our Community

Become an Axios Twin Cities member and fuel our mission to make readers smarter and faster on the news unfolding here.

Why it's important: The generosity of our members supports our newsroom as we work on the daily newsletter.

What's in it for you: Insider notes from the local reporters and other perks.

Thank you for trusting us.

Be on your best behavior because 115 journalists and other staff from Axios Local are in town this week for a retreat.

• OK, maybe we're the ones who should behave.

Why it matters: Axios leaders picked the Twin Cities in part because of our success as one of the original four pilot cities launched in January 2021.

• Along with Denver, Des Moines and Tampa Bay, we helped pave the way for 30 cities and counting.
• That's all thanks to local readers and supporters — you.

Yes, but: They also picked us because of our central location and airport, which was just ranked No. 1 by J.D. Power.

• There are direct flights from MSP to all 30 Axios Local cities, many with multiple trips daily from competing airlines.

The big picture: The Twin Cities' airport helps local corporations do business, attracts meeting and events and brings tourists.

• That's why the news Friday that Delta is adding an MSP to Rome flight in May is a big deal.

The bottom line: We're excited to show our colleagues around town, but we'd also love it if the next Axios Local retreat was a winter getaway to Miami, San Diego or New Orleans.

Flexible work just got better for over 7 million people.

Here's why: Uber's new features are designed to help make the driver and courier experience safer, fairer and easier.

• One feature, Record My Ride, allows drivers to record trips with their smartphone instead of investing in a dashcam.

Editor's note: Yesterday's top story was corrected to reflect Diana Taurasi is 42 (not 35).

💳 Nick thought his days of playing the credit card game for airline miles was over. Then he had a third kid and that means five plane tickets per vacation.

🐯 Torey had a great time visiting the Como Zoo with her dad. It wouldn't have been complete without a carousel ride!

🥃 Kyle got together with his family and tasted the schnapps his brother brought back from a trip through Luxembourg and Germany.

This newsletter was edited by Emma Hurt.