Sunday, Septermber 16

Today we went to Honey Pot Hill Orchards and went apple picking with a group of families from MIT. It was a georgeous fall day!! The rain from yesterday moved out and left sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s. The orchard is huge!! There were tons of people there! I was expecting something smaller - more like the pumpkin patches in North Alabama. This orchard has acres and acres of beautiful apple trees of many different varieties. It also has a pear orchard, but we didn't go there. It has a petting farm with goats, rabits, chickens, ponies, and the 3 little pigs complete with houses.

There is also a hedge maze copied from a famous one in Europe. We went on a hayride around the orchard and visited the farm store for apple cider doughnuts and caramel apples.

Then it was off to pick apples!

Jamie really enjoyed himself! Picking good apples in the late afternoon requires climbing high up in the trees, and Jamie is an expert climber. He was very selective about the apples he picked and so didn't end up filling his bag.

Rachel climbed up the ladders to get her apples and filled up her bag. David pulled apples from the trees from where he could reach from the ground. This boy is afraid of heights. He wouldn't even try to pick apples from mommy's shoulders. He was too scared to let go and reach up for an apple. So, he got apples from the ground (some of which mommy discarded) and from low-hanging branches. He kept on picking, even after his bag was overflowing!

He also had a first - he actually ate an apple he picked. It was a smallish apple and a little sour, but he ate on it for about an hour! I've never been able to get him to eat apples before. Maybe this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

So, now the only question remaining is. . . .

what am I going to do with 13 lbs of apples???? The kids and I will eat some and some for an apple pie, but then what?