Flashback :: Apple Picking (September 2014)

We had some awesome adventures last Fall...summer...well a long time ago that never made it onto the blog. But it is worth having these adventures memorialized. So, enjoy this flashback from when we went apple picking!

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Towards the end of September we headed up into the mountains to Riley's Farm to go apple picking. We had gone picking when we lived in Massachusetts and loved it, and upon finding out that California also had a thriving apple picking community we were excited. It was about a 2 hour drive outside of town, up into the mountains. The orchard was hilly and it was a cross between hiking and picking apples.

 

The farm had a old timey feel and a gold-rush educational theme. There was some butter churning and making of cider with apples by hand. One could make a whole day trip of just going to the farm and picking and learning about how life was like before the Industrial Revolution in California.

As usual, Ellie enjoyed eating applies more than picking them. And the fact that it was so hilly made it a little difficult for her to navigate. But she still had a great time. There was one apple called a Snow White Red that she wanted to try, but we couldn't find any trees of this variety marked for picking that had any apples left (apparently we went towards the end of the season).

Calvin was happy to just chill in the backpack. We had just gotten the backpack a week beforehand (a hand-me-down from good friends) and we weren't sure how much he would like it. He loved it (and still does) and was smiles the whole time. Nick and I took terms carrying him and he was very engaged with everything.

We ended up with 1/2 bushel of apples of which a high percentage ended up in Ellie's stomach soon after we got home. They were very yummy. I'm not sure which weighs more, a 1/2 bushel of apples or a 6-mo old Calvin.

After we did our apple picking, we drove around "apple country" to try and find some cider donuts. To our dismay there was only one (one!) place that had them. And of course there was a ridiculous line. But, we were out of town after a long drive and needed a snack to tide us over on the drive home. So we waited in line and got our donuts.

It was a fun day and Ellie certainly was happy to have some apples. Cal really enjoyed being outside and the fresh air.