Fall farm fun

Two happy apples!

Pick apples. Pick pumpkins. Check, check.

The past few weekends have been spent out of doors as much as possible--whether we're faced with cold drizzle and clouds or hot sun. We made it to two area farms, and couldn't have had more opposing experiences. We'll start chronologically, with the apples.

It was with more than one shadow of doubt, and half a dozen "reloads" on weather.com, that we piled into the car last Saturday morning for the 45-minute drive to an apple orchard that promised the most authentic farm experience of all the competing orchards around. On our way, we passed the big-name orchard and were glad we weren't parking there--too fancy for our taste.

Elise feeds "Grandma." No offense,
Grandma!

We found our little farm after a peaceful drive past a few longhorn cows. And before we were even out of the car, we were greeted by Farmer Dan himself. "You're just in time to help me give the cows their breakfast!" And he had Kalina at "cows." Soon we were all laughing as "Grandma" cow nearly knocked over the fence in her excitement to get at the hay. I'm not sure whether Farmer Dan or Grandma put on a better show. What fun! Then he promised us baby chicks in the barn.

Who's happier?

We visited a few other animals on the way, but could resist the chicks no longer. Another farmhand kindly let Kalina pet and then hold one--I think the girl was born to hold baby animals. Elise was content to pet Kalina's.

And then we smelled fresh-baked donuts, even before we saw someone walk by with a couple of them. We followed our noses to a tiny bakery that pretty much only sold donuts and coffee, but did not need to do anything else. So then we were eating apple cider donuts and pumpkin donuts outside on a chilly fall morning (with clouds but no rain!) and had already had a fabulous morning and had not yet even picked our apples.

We finally made our way to the wagon that would take us out to the orchards. We grabbed a giant bag (after all, we're not going out there to pick for 5 minutes and come back!) and hopped on. We passed peach trees and blackberry pushes on our way, and soon were let off by he winesaps and the golden delicious. The wagon drove away and, other than the housing development on the other side of a hedge, we were alone in an apple orchard.

Most of the apples needed a boost
to be picked.

First things first, we sampled. Then we let each girl pick a couple. And then Daddy went after the slightly more elusive golden delicious, Kalina and I found a tree she could climb, and Elise continued to eat.

In fact, Elise munched on an apple the rest of the time until the wagon picked us up. The apples were too high for her to pick, anyway, and she didn't seem to mind being left alone with her apple.

This was high enough for
both of us.

Kalina couldn't have been prouder to climb a tree. It was particularly ladder-like, and she was never more than five feet off the ground, so it was perfect. After hopping down, she went off to pick more apples, which is how we ended up with lots of weird ones in our bag.

She eventually worked her
way around to the other side, too.

Then I got down to business and loaded a bunch of winesaps into our bag. The trees, which were bursting with them, seemed relieved.

As we waited for the wagon to take us back, we sampled some more--and Elise finally finished hers as the wagon pulled up.

But our fun wasn't over! The farm also has a lovely little play area for kids--no bounce houses or pony rides, but a giant hay pile to climb on (Kalina scrambled all the way to the top!), a pretend horse to sit on and brush that Elise did not ever want to leave, a play house, a tool shed, and much more. Perfect.

Daddy's cringing because
a heavily loaded tree
shaken by a toddler can
be a dangerous thing.

We dragged ourselves away in time, and then headed home to wash our apples and make crisp, and eat more apples. We will be back as often as we possibly can.

This afternoon, we geared up for the farm experience again! This time, on a hot and sunny afternoon and at a farm closer to town.

Blech. We waited in a line of cars to wade through crowds standing in more lines to pay more money for a sad hayride, to enter a pumpkin field wasteland. I will spare you more details but will try to look on the bright side:

1. Kalina and Elise were both proud to find their own pumpkins. Two of the smallest ones on the farm, in fact.
2. Matt was a very good sport, and was simply glad that I did not consider the farm a fun place to be (I'd found it online and had it recommended by a neighbor).
3. We were able to leave quickly and go back to the pretty state park to play around in instead.

We picked our own
pumpkins, but at what
price?

The state park was pretty and fun. Everything that the pumpkin patch was not. Yay!

Happy fall!