Apple Picking

Last weekend we went to Highland Orchard to do some apple picking. This has been a tradition of ours since we moved out here almost ten years ago. We always go to the same location - Highland Orchard. It's a great place with lots of stuff to do - especially for the kids. They have a cute little playground, some goats (which we ALWAYS have to feed), a wonderful little store (with a great bakery!) and a deli. They drive you out to whatever orchard you want, based on the type of fruits you want to pick. We usually have some of our friends go with us. This year, our friends John and Cyndy (along with their daughter Ashleigh) and Mandy joined us.

The kids had so much fun feeding the goats. We then let them play on the playground for a few minutes before heading out to the orchards. The kids were such big helpers and had a blast! They all LOVED the apples - even AJ (who had never tried biting into a whole apple before). It was an absolutely perfect day to be outside. This is my favorite time of the year! The weather was gorgeous and the leaves were just starting to change color, making the valley a breathtaking sight.

We packed our apples up and headed out to catch a ride back to the store so we could get a few specialty items. Their apple cider donuts were unbelievable! I wish I had gotten more - one was not nearly enough. After we finished shopping, we stopped at Ludwig's Corner to buy some mums, hay, and pumpkins to decorate the entrance of our houses. Last, we headed to Isaac's for some lunch.

By the time we got home, the boys were exhausted. I put them to bed and started working on the apples (with my handy dandy apple/peeler/corer). It took a few hours, but I got them all peeled, cored and cut up. I made a pan of apple crisp and froze the rest. It's so nice to be able to make fresh apple desserts during the wintertime. It was such a fun day!