Pickin' Apples!

So we did something this weekend that we had never done before-- we picked apples!! Honestly, apple-picking has always sounded like fun, but it never even crossed my mind as an activity that could be enjoyed in San Diego County. I knew there was a place up in San Bernardino County, since we used to go on a field trip there with the 5th graders, but that was quite a drive. And really, I thought that most apple-picking must be reserved for the northern climates-- the Pacific Northwest, New England, etc.

And then it hit me. There is a place nearby called Julian that is known for its fresh apple pies. So... the apples must come from somewhere, right? It turns out that Julian has lots of apple orchards, and several of them are open to the public for picking.

Anyway, this whole picking-apples thing was quite an exciting prospect! We loaded up the kids this morning, and made the hour-long drive through the winding countryside. It's actually only about 35 miles away, but it's all on narrow country highways that wind through farmland and beautiful hills covered with oak trees, etc. Such a pretty drive! Nikos was in heaven, looking for all the cows/horses/barns/tractors/etc. along the way (he is sort of on a farm kick right now).

We finally made it to the orchard, which was run by quite a colorful character. He was covered in tattoos, had a fairly strong Irish accent, and seemed like he might have done a few too many drugs in his lifetime. Still, the place was packed! He has over 8,000 trees, mostly dwarf species, and lots of flavor variety. The kids went NUTS! Nikos instantly wanted to eat one, which was fine, and Maya quickly joined in. They were picking with one hand and eating with the other, and it was too cute for words! What really surprised me was Maya's apple-eating ability. She barely has four teeth (more like 3.5), and I had never given her an apple for this reason. I didn't think she could chew it! Wrong! Man, does she love apples! Good to know, right?

After we filled our bag to overflowing, and had snacked on enough varieties, we packed it in and headed home. We stopped at a small country cafe for some lunch, which was nice, and made it home just in time for both kids to take a nap. All in all, it was a fantastic day!







Now I just have to figure out what to do with all these apples... I'm the only one who eats pie, and Nikos wanted to bring treats to share with the other daycare kids (who are actually going to be learning about apples this week as part of their preschool program). What to do, what to do...