Maybe not the perfect day but a very good one!
We just returned from Eckert's Orchard Country Store. It wasn't as exciting as the apple picking trips of the past or those of which I have recently read but it was a very positive event. Today, Rachel and I read Johnny Appleseed from Bill Bennett's The Children's Book of America. I was witness to a true rabbit trail! It was really neat to step back and realize that in about 45 minutes or so we had covered literature, history, geography, science, copywork, narration and art - initiated by one story! Wow!!
I realized after our lessons that making apple cider is not something one can just 'do'. We made a long list of the things that the pioneers would have been able to do with apples and Rachel decided we needed to do them, just like the pioneers would have! Of course, she wanted to start with cider ;-) I had already explained that there were no commissaries or stores 'out west' back then so our way of doing things had to be a bit different. I realize I could purchase the equipment and make the cider but, no. We did pick up cider, apple butter and some apples to be creative with over the next week or so. I would so love to do what Anne does with her apples but I just don't think that will happen right now, maybe another time. A bag of kettle corn and some rock candy made it into our cart, too. I'm not sure that's something the pioneers would have had?! I guess that's a lesson for another day.
I realized after our lessons that making apple cider is not something one can just 'do'. We made a long list of the things that the pioneers would have been able to do with apples and Rachel decided we needed to do them, just like the pioneers would have! Of course, she wanted to start with cider ;-) I had already explained that there were no commissaries or stores 'out west' back then so our way of doing things had to be a bit different. I realize I could purchase the equipment and make the cider but, no. We did pick up cider, apple butter and some apples to be creative with over the next week or so. I would so love to do what Anne does with her apples but I just don't think that will happen right now, maybe another time. A bag of kettle corn and some rock candy made it into our cart, too. I'm not sure that's something the pioneers would have had?! I guess that's a lesson for another day.
I think that the pioneers had kettle corn. Why not? They all had a big black kettle! I love fresh kettle corn...and rock candy....sure wish I went with you! How many apples did you pick???
ReplyDeleteLove ya!
Anne
We haven't been able to pick our own at all this year. The spring freeze took most of the peach crop and the lonnnngggg heat spell in the summer caused the apples to fall from the trees pre-maturely. They had to pick them and bag them to sell, sadly.
ReplyDeleteHey, have you thought about planting your own Michigan spies??? I thought about it immediately when you said they were becoming less common and more difficult to find. I would encourage you to do so :-)
Susan
Talked with my master gardener and he said that spies are hard to grow and that you don't get to harvest your apples for almost 10 years! So I may have to rethink the 'growing my own.'
ReplyDelete