When I was younger, I could remember quite vividly the yearly trip my family and I would take to the apple orchids. My siblings and I would pick so many apples that we could barely carry them all back to the car with us. Sometimes we went with other friends and family, sometimes it was just us. But I do remember it was something that we all looked forward to year after year. It was a family tradition of ours and I loved it. We always made sure to stop in the farmers market for hot cider and warm donuts, go on the hay rides, and if it was late enough in the season, we got our pumpkins that day too.
I remember the minute we would come home, my mom always made apple “cake”, not pie, from a recipe in a big white flour covered cookbook. She still makes it today and it is something we all look forward to. We would carve our pumpkins immediately and usually leave them on our porch till the day after Halloween. My mom always decorated our front windows no matter what holiday or season it was, and still does so today especially for my kids. These are the memories that I recall as a child, and now as a parent am recreating for my own children. They may not be done so in the exact way as my family and I did, but we have our own now, our own traditions.
Jason and I are experiencing sweet yearly to-do’s with our children and it is only until now did I realize how organically this has all been happening. We never discussed before we had kids that each year we would take them pumpkin picking or apple picking, get our fresh Christmas tree each year from the corner deli, these have all just sort of happened. And as the years go on, the kids grow older, I am starting to notice they look forward to these outings and get excited about them. I love having these sort of holiday, changing of the seasons rituals with my family. The minute the chilly air hit last week Ryder and Siella were pulling out all of the Halloween decor I have hiding in my over stuffed china closet. And I love watching how excited they get when we cover our front door in skeletons and cob webs. Or when Ryder pulled out the haunted house he made when he was 3, or the ceramic halloween plates they decorated last year at Color Me Mine.
Our outing last week was to Wightman’s Farms in Morristown. We went with our good friends and their children as well. The day was filled with fun, laughs, and a ton of apples. Peaches too! The kids practically ate their way through the orchids. Although the farm had plenty of pumpkins, we decided to wait to pick them later this month, that way they will withstand Halloween. The kids were so excited with our crop, we went home and made fresh apple “pie”, not cake. I also promised Ryder that we will find a recipe for apple cider too.
I love the fall season, these sweet memories we are making, and so looking forward to the winter and holiday months ahead.
Happy Fall everyone! xx
3 thoughts on “Our Yearly Pick”
I love this post so much. I too started yearly traditions with my family. And I love how my boys look forward to them each year. My children are older and it only gets better!
You are such a wonderful mommy. And I promise you your children will remember these apple picking trips and eventually do them with their children. God Bless
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