Apple Picking

We have been looking forward eagerly to our trip up to Oak Glen for apple picking for quite a while now.  Elliott has been asking when we are going, "are we going the tomorrow after tomorrow, or the tomorrow after tomorrow after tomorrow?".  It was finally time!

We first stopped at Apple Annie's for 6, yes 6, apple pies.  We learned last year just how good they were and had lots of requests to bring them back home to friends and family.

Then we headed to Snow-line for our homemade apple cider donuts.  They were just as good as we remembered.

Finally we were off to Willowbrook.  

We got there right before they opened the gates, and the kids got to be the first ones to open the season again this year, and pick the first apples off the trees.

We love coming early in the season when the apples are so low the kids can easily pick them off the tree themselves.

It was such a good season this year, with so many options to choose from.

Everyone had a favorite apple.

Elliott wanted the littlest, tiniest, baby apples he could find.

And William wanted to find the biggest apple possible.  

Then we played on the tractors and visited the animals.  We had fun meeting, Daisy, the new donkey, and watching the big pig lie out in the sun, and Flopsy, the biggest rabbit we have ever seen.

Then we headed off to make some cider.  First we picked a big barrel full of apples.

William dropped the apples into the cider press, and Elliott cranked and cranked as the apples were chopped up. 

When they got stuck, out came the spatula, and Daddy would help get them going again.

Once they were all chopped, we would twist and twist the lever on top that would squish all the apples, and out would come the juice.  

There were SO MANY BEES!  Everywhere!  They loved the juice and would dive bomb into our cider, and swim around in heaven.  We were admittedly pretty nervous but they seemed much more interested in the cider than in us.  Then, we poured the cider into the sieve (to make sure we didn't take any of those bees home with us) and that was it!  Delicious cider to take home!

Off for some more exploring, 

and climbing, 

and sliding, and we were ready to head home.  

To make some Sunday morning Conference applesauce!

The boys were such good helpers with the peeling,

and eating of apple twirls, 

and the applesauce smelled divine while we watched Conference.  What a wonderful way to welcome in the fall!