rainy apples
The Johnsons were feeling sorry for the girls and me since Mike was away this weekend, so they invited us along on their Honeycrisp apple picking tour. I tasted a Honeycrisp apple a few years ago and knew right then and there that those were my absolute favorite apples. However, with a $3+/lb price tag I rarely give in and buy them when I see them taunting me at the grocery story. Once in a while I will grab a couple, just for me though.
The orchard was set to open at 9:00 a.m. this Saturday for the Honeycrisp opener, and Julie warned me that they get picked fast usually within a couple of hours. We dashed over there as quickly as we could arriving just a few minutes after 9:00, but we were met with a 30-minute line into the orchard. I didn’t feed the girls prior to leaving because we knew we’d be hitting the homemade doughnut stand just down the street right after our picking adventures. The big girls could handle their grumbling tummies, but Violet was not happy and made EVERYONE well aware of her displeasure the entire time we waited in line. When we finally got into the gates and parked it looked like there were still plenty of apples for us to pick. The forecast said there would be rain later in the afternoon, but it had only been sprinkling on and off up to that point. We weren’t worried.
Everyone had a bag in hand, and we were off to the races. I lagged a little behind because I had to get out the stroller for Violet, etc. By the time Violet and I reached our party, the rain gods turned on the spigot full blast. The group made a run for it back to the cars, and all the kids piled into my vehicle to watch a movie. Thankfully the kids had already picked a few apples, so we each had a snack to tide us over until a bit later. This satisfied Violet, too. Seth decided to not let the rain stop him, and he managed to fill most of his large bag and about 1/2 of my large bag. When the rain let up a lot, then we headed back out to finish the task at hand. The girls and I managed to get enough apples to fill up my large bag for a 1/2 bushel total.
Waiting out the rain in the car.
Picking away.
The girls and I all geared up for the rain.
After picking was complete we headed over to another orchard that makes the most awesome (and greasy) doughnuts and apple cider.
The apple guts discarded after getting all the lovely juices.
Thankfully, there was this little playground and some animals to pet in order to entertain the kids while we had to wait another very long time for the doughnuts.
Finally, the wait is over, and boy was it worth it. There was a line a mile long, and they also make them to order. We were all like little piggies after having to wait until about 10:30 to eat our breakfast.
Even though we got soaked and my car filled up with grass and mud, I’m so glad we did this. I now have a 1/2 bushel off apples with which to contend. Julie educated me on the storage of apples, and I was pleased to learned if properly handled and stored that the apples will last up to 6 months. Yahoo!