Seeing that we are moving away from our beloved Fruit Loop in just a matter of days, my husband and I packed up the little ones earlier this week while the older two were busy at school and pulled off a spur of the moment apple picking trip. Sometimes the best outings are the spur of the moment ones. Don’t you agree?
We had so much fun! Being that it was during the week and early enough in the morning, we had the farm almost completely to ourselves. The adults did most of the picking and the little ones did a lot of the tasting.
Gabriel, in fact ate two whole apples all by himself! He had us cracking up as he would not let go of his apple. He was determined to eat the whole thing all by himself and eat it he did! Followed by another one and possibly a third had we let him.
Ariella was a bit overwhelmed by the rows upon rows of apple trees. I think she was afraid she was going to get lost or lose us as she kept insisting on holding my hand.
I tried to make sure we did not pick too many apples. I do not want to have to worry about what to do with bushels and bushels of apples just before moving. We did pick enough to enjoy snacking on and for making into apple butter. (Which reminds me! Does anyone know of a good apple butter recipe online? I just happen to have all of my cookbooks packed at the moment.)
There was an unexpected surprise waiting for us at the apple farm. We were thrilled to find out that not only were the apples ready for picking but the farm actually still had some beautiful u-pick strawberries available. This just made the visit even more worthwhile! Both Ariella and Gabriel absolutely LOVE strawberries. So, not only did little Gabriel eat two apples but he also filled his belly with all the strawberries he could get his hands on.
Just like with the apples, I tried to make sure we did not pick more than we can handle right now. But it was so hard! The berries were so ripe and so big and so ready to be eaten, NOW!
As our days in the Gorge are coming to a close I am beginning to feel rather sad and nostalgic. The Fruit Loop has always been a favorite place of mine for taking the kids to and dreaming about the homestead I would love to have someday. I am glad we got to enjoy it just one more time.
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