We were expecting there to be just a few families but when we arrived we saw at least 100 cars, maybe more. The place was packed with families enjoying the local crops (apples, prunes, corn, pumpkins, and raspberries), the bounce house, face painting, pumpkin picking, and hay rides. We kept our visit pretty simple. We got ourselves something to eat first. TP ordered a hamburger made with their own cows, I got a locally produced hotdog, and we all got apple cider donuts.
After we ate we decided, though there were many options, that we wanted to pick Gala apples. So we picked our own row of trees and set out to fill our large bag.
Bean loved it. We showed her once how to pick an apple off the branch and place it in our bag and then she was off. Bean ran branch to branch, grunting as she attempted to pull the apples off. When she got frustrated with that she’d just pick up apples off the ground and carry them around. She would then put the apples in our bag and we yelled, “Great job!” But while she wasn’t looking, threw them to the side. Most of the ones she picked off the ground were rotting or bruised but we wanted her to feel useful and excited so we never turned an apple away. She ran around our feet, giggling and holding up apples, so proud of herself. We were proud too.
I had no idea there would be so many bees! They were everywhere, enjoying the harvest like the rest of us but they made me nervous. They were all around our feet as we stepped on overly ripe apples in our search for the perfect ones, but we made it out safely.
I have to admit though, a few of the apples we took home have a few bites taken out of them or teeth marks. We tried to catch Bean before she bit into an apple she picked (off a branch, not the rotten ones on the ground) but she was just too fast.
We eventually let her eat an apple right off the branch..Yup, dirt, germs, and all.
-M