Family Travel--What You Can Learn at an Apple Orchardby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 25 Oct 2007 06:50 PM We just returned from our annual trip to the local apple orchard and I'm staring at the receipt from our adventure. My 3-year-old daughter spent more than an hour happily bouncing from branch to branch plucking ripe red apples and placing them into her plastic bag. (This was after I convinced her that the farmer might ask us to leave if she continued to throw rotten apples into the nearby buffalo pen.) Gazing at my receipt it appears the hands on lesson in produce growing and harvesting was included in the price of the apples. The apples at the U-Pick orchard we visited were sold in 1/2 peck, peck and 1/2 bushel bags. By my calculations it would have been cheaper to purchase the same amount of apples at our local grocery store. But, I digress. I just thought I would throw that out there for all of you apple-picking families who are expecting to walk away with a bargain from your local apple orchard. Then again, perhaps you will find that your local orchard is offering prices better than the one we visited. Maybe, it's just me. I just figured if you were the one providing the labor the price of the fruit would reflect that. Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous time and if you live anywhere near an apple orchard I would highly recommend taking your children for an afternoon of picking. If I had older children I would've had them research the different varieties of apples prior to taking the trip. The orchard we visited offered a plethora of apples from Paula Red, Ozark Gold, Duchess, Empire, Gala, McIntosh, and Cortland to Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Spartan, and my personal favorite, Honeycrisp. On the ride out to the orchard the farmer peppered us with interesting apple facts including the tidbit about the apple being a member of the pome family - a fruit whose seeds are embedded in the core of the fruit. We also learned that apple trees require year-round care and treatment. Even during the brutally cold winter months (we live in Wisconsin so when I say brutal I mean extremely brutal) the trees are dormant and pruning begins. Limbs are sawed off and clipped in order to allow maximum sunlight and air penetration. This allows the tree to produce higher quality apples. And the lessons didn't stop there... before the farmer took off to pick up the next group of people my daughter sweet talked her way onto the tractor and got to sit behind the wheel. That's where she got a crash course in tractor steering and maintenance. I can only hope her interest in vehicles continues (then she can teach me how to change a flat tire). All tolled the entire apple picking experience was priceless. Something I will keep in mind the next time I look at the receipt from the farm. Did you go apple picking this year? Related Articles: Answer: Sweaty Pumpkins and Sandy Kids Traveling With Children-Learn From My Mistakes Traveling With Children-Fall Lessons Learned Where You Can Chuck A Pumpkin Without Getting Arrested More Places To Take Your Little Ghosts And Goblins For Some Safe Halloween Fun Where To Take Your Little Ghosts And Goblins For Some Safe Halloween Fun More Fun Fall Activities For Families With Children Fun Fall Activities For Families With Children Family Travel--Taking Your Children To A Strawberry Farm Fun Fall Family Travel Destinations-Part 5: Farms and Festivals Apples, Apples and More Apples for your Crock Pot Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments  minnemom (10) 03 Mar 2008 01:52 PMWe love to go to orchards, although I agree that it's not a bargain. We're patiently (or not-so-patiently) waiting for our own apple trees to grow up enough to bear fruit so we can take this particular field trip at home. Still, there's something about an orchard that makes it perfect fall family fun.  Michele Cheplic (37349) 06 Mar 2008 01:13 PMThanks for the comment minniemom. Sounds like you have gone on a bunch of adventures... how nice will it be to stick close to home during apple picking season! Good luck with the trees. Community Tags apple orchard, apple picking, family travel, Travel, travel with kids Discuss this article
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