Apple Season

Each year we find a farm to pick apples at.  This activity has become a much beloved family tradition and helps us to mark the change of seasons once again as we acknowledge the passage of time.  This year our favorite farm to go to was already done with picking Jonathans… our favorite tart apple that grows here.  Far to our north, the apples weren’t ready yet which spoiled a day we had hoped to spend with Rachael and her family so we did some investigating.  We found that northwest of Dayton, there was a farm with one day of Jonathan picking left.  We made the drive… not much farther than we usually have to drive to a fruit farm.  We made an afternoon of it.

Many trees were picked out but there were enough trees that were still plentiful.

We headed out into the orchard armed with 6 half bushel bags we hoped to fill.  Our family has grown and after last year we didn’t feel 2 bushels was enough anymore.  We love our apples.

Fresh is best!

Nathan had a great time walking around.  He found a patch of “tickle trees”.

Haley found a good sized apple in spite of the moderate draught we are experiencing again.

The greener the apple the better the flavor, so say my kids.  They like tart and this type of apple has a good mix of red and green shades.

These trees were short and dense.  Many could easily reached by our shorter family members but staying out of poison ivy was a real trick.  It was growing around the base of each tree at varying heights. 

Some lucky birds wake up each morning to a garden in the sky… beautiful!

Boys and their sticks!  It must be hereditary.  Lindsay enjoyed playing around with Nathan.  He enjoyed her attention too.

Rows and rows of apple trees, these being mostly picked out now.

Late summer flowers in bloom with plenty of bees and butterflies.

Kaitlyn and Nathan found a pile of corn to play around in opposite a bird watch in the woods.

Here are half of our apples; three bushels total loaded into the van.  Tristan himself ate seven of them yesterday and three or four upon arriving home Saturday night.  Two apple pies were made yesterday, which we shared with a neighbor.  After eating these fresh juicy sweet-tart apples all week this weekend we will put some apples aside for eating and the rest we will dry or process into apple sauce, apple slices, apple butter and apple snacks.  Autumn is a favorite time of year for us.