Apple Picking

Last Friday was an absolutely beautiful day. The sky was brilliant blue with not a cloud in sight. The temps were mild and a slight breeze was in the air. It was the kind of day that begs you to be outside having fun. Brennan had a half day of school due to teacher meetings and I get off at noon every day so I decided we would make the most of the gorgeous day. After contemplating a variety of ideas I decided we would go fruit picking at Eckert's in Illinois. I was expecting to go peach picking, but I was thrilled to find out it was opening day for honeycrisp apple season!

Honeycrisp apples are our absolute favorites! Honeycrisps are created by pollinating Macoun and Honeygold apple varieties. The outcome is a sweet, lightly tart, firm apple. We like to eat them in their natural form, but I have also made applesauce, apple pie and apple crisp with them and all of the goodies were tasty.

Bryan decided to surprise us by taking off two hours early. After a quick lunch we loaded up the car and headed over to Belleville. We usually take the river ferry across the Mississippi, head into Grafton and visit the Eckert's in Grafton, but that day we decided to explore the Belleville location. This particular Eckert's is about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis so it was a nice drive that allowed one tuckered out 4 year old an opportunity to cat nap!

I will never go apple picking on a weekend again; Friday afternoons are the way to go! We walked right up to the tractor and instantly boarded the wagon. Peaches were still available for picking so we gathered boxes and bags and headed out to the orchards. The boys had so much fun riding on the tractor/wagon ride. I'll admit, I had fun, too! The driver was an older man who was so sweet. He drove us out to the apple trees first and we picked two big bags of apples. Alex thought it was so neat that he could eat apples straight off the trees. Brennan was dying to pick peaces so we loaded the tractor again and headed to the peach orchards. These peaches were the biggest peaches I had ever seen! Brennan stashed on in his pocket and decided he would eat it later (he dropped it so many times it bruised all over, though). We loaded up the tractor again and headed back to the country store. As we sat high in the wagon my eyes fell upon the acres and acres of farm land filled with fresh fruits and veggies. Oh how I wish I could live on a farm! Most people are shocked when I say this, but I really wish I could live in the country, growing my food and tending to a few animals. I guess you could say I have changed a bit! It was such a neat time watching the boys explore, pick the fruit, eat it right off the trees, chase grasshoppers and have a good time. I love knowing that we have opportunities to show our boys where their food comes from, who tends to the fruits and veggies, who cares for the farmland, etc. Many times were take our food for granted. It is easy to grab a handful of greens or a bag of apples at the local grocery store and never once think about who planted the seed and tended to them all season long or to think about how did that zucchini get from the farm to the kitchen table.

Tonight, right before bed, I am going to make some homemade applesauce with some of our apples from Eckert's. Tomorrow morning when the boys wake up they can enjoy some warm cinnamon applesauce with their breakfast. The following recipe is SOOOOO easy, it tastes great and the smell is heavenly (imagine autumn bursting from your walls).

Ingredients:


Apples (I usually use 6-8 big apples, it all depends on how much you want to make)
1/2 cup water
Ground cinnamon (to your liking)
*1/4 cup real sugar (if desired; could also use Truvia, Stevia, etc.)

Slice apples, place into crock pot. Add water, cinnamon, and optional sugar. Turn pot on low and in a matter of hours enjoy your applesauce. I leave the skin on the apples because there is a lot of fiber and nutrients in the skins, however you can peel this off if desired. I like my applesauce warm, but it is also very good cold.