Apple Picking '05

Apple Picking

Yesterday we went to Styer Orchards in Langhorne to go apple picking. It was a beautiful day- blue skies and warm sun. When we arrived we loaded up a little wagon with 2 buckets, and the kids (E refused to walk if N was riding). We easily filled our buckets with Macouns and Jonathans.

E enjoyed both picking, especially with the apple picking pole, and eating the apples. N tried walking between the trees but was thrown off balance by his shoes (he usually goes barefoot), so he ended up sitting in the grass and watching.

I don't know why, but I LOVE picking fruit!! Give me any kind of fruit bush, tree, vine or plant, and I am a harvesting machine. I once applied for a fruit picking job that was advertised in the local Grove City paper. The guy who called me back convinced me that it would be very difficult work, and I obviously didn't understand what the job would entail. So I decided to pass on that job opportunity. Looking back, that was probably a wise decision, but I still try to fill that picking need in my life. Road side signs call to me when they say "Pick Your Own_____".

Well, following our time in the orchard, we went back to the barn area where there was a litter of 4 kittens looking for a home. I was definitely tempted, especially since E's favorite wish is for a kitty, but life with a kitten would be sneezy. N's reaction to the kittens kind of reminded me of that commercial with the little boy petting a frog and squealing with delight when it gives a little jump. N would pet a kitten's paw and it would twitch away, and he would giggle and squeal in response.

After that, we went over to the moon bounce where E bounced away and N cried in disappointment because he was too little. It is such a hard age for things like that-- too little to do a lot of stuff, but big enough to care.

The last thing we did was go on a hayride through the orchards. We stopped halfway and the driver kindly got off to pick us some golden delicious apples to eat during the remainder of the ride. There is nothing like eating a freshly picked apple, it is so crisp and sweet, it makes my mouth water to think about it.

We ended up buying 20 pounds of apples. So far I have made apple crisp and apple pancakes. Later this week I will be making applesauce, apple cake, and of course, apple pie.