Nothing says Fall more than picking apples from the trees in 30 degree celsius weather. Ahem. Heat aside, we had a really fantastic time. We took a trip to Mountain Orchards, located in Mountain ON. Not too far of a trip but far enough to make it an adventure. We met up with some good friends and took advantage of the many many children there as free labour. Seeing as they were all homeschooled kids, we also throw in a little bit about how the pollination thing works and how the fruit grows and then we pick it and process it to feed us through winter, blah blah blah. While that was all fine and good the real fun was in the picking.
The trees were loaded with fruit, I mean really loaded. They had lovely low branches so even the littlest ones could help and they had ladders so the bigger ones could get a bit of climbing in as well.
Noah had fun picking for a bit then took off with an armful of apples to sit under a tree and munch away. Julien, however, loves a task. He was given a 20lb bag to fill and he wasn’t stopping until that whole bag was filled to the very top. Oh sure, he stopped to sample the apples and climb and chat with friends, but the boy loves a good challenge. He was an apple picking machine.
In the end, we ended up with 60lbs(!!!!!) of apples. Not quite sure how that happened but I am pretty sure they ate 2-3 lbs on the drive home. I made one batch of applesauce so far, an apple crisp, and a delicious Apple cake from KC. I made it gluten free by substituting the flour for my own gluten free mix of flours and I didn’t have vanilla extract (how the heck does that happen?) so I used half of the amount of Almond extract and loved the subtle hint of almond it gave. Next on the list are some apple chips, then I will slice some and freeze for pies, crisps, muffins, and breads for the winter. Oh and of course we are eating them by the truckload. If the old saying “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away” is true, we should be good for at least a year!!
It was a great day and Julien has already asked when we can go back and do it again. I love that they love doing this stuff, I love that they see where it all comes from and I love that they enjoy it so much.
Now, I am off to finish up with these apples. Any recipes to share?
I am Jennifer. I am a wife and stay at home mother to two little boys. We are a homeschooling, co sleeping, nature loving bunch and I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures. Read more.
