Autumn Fun at the Apple Orchard ~ Field Trip Friday

We had a rainy Field Trip Friday to the apple orchard.  And I left my umbrellas in the car, even though it had already sprinkled on the way there.  sigh...

I also left Malachi in the car.  It was easier than dealing with his grumping about the sprinkles and he's old enough to read a book and vegetate in the dry, warm vehicle.  When I got back to the car and placed the apples in the back, he had turned the heat up and it was nice and toasty.   It's only September, so it will be a while before he will relent and start wearing warm clothes.

We all got together for a group photo.  We *may* have been running late because a sign told us the road ahead was closed, but when we took the detour, we realized the road *south* of where we needed to be and we would have been fine had we just kept going.  sigh...  Yes.  It was one of those sigh filled mornings.

Next we hopped on a wooden wagon and headed off to the orchard.  The pickers are men from Jamaica who have been coming to the orchard for 25 years now!  On the way to the lovely red beauties, we learned a bit of apple trivia.

I will post the answers to these questions at the end of this post.

1.  Why can't you bob for pears like we do for apples in the fall?

2.  Which countries produce the most apples?

3.  What is the only apple native to this country?

4.  How many apple varieties have been here in the USA?

Think it over and see how well you know the answers.

The punks *loved* the apple train where the pickers would unload their precious cargo.  The bags they carry have a fabric bottom that can be released, lowering the apples gently into the carts.  No dumping happens here.  We wouldn't want bruised apples in the store!  They also thought the shape of the ladder was interesting.  It's very narrow at the top.

My happy apple pickers.

We didn't let the sprinkles stop us from enjoying the orchard, but our seats were wet when we climbed back aboard the wagon.  A few clever souls remembered umbrellas and rain ponchos.  But we are hearty, hear us roar.  Also, I don't think Mrs. E and Mrs. C are properly using this *plastic* poncho.  Kids, don't try this at home!

At the store, we shopped for a few yummy items and Merrick and his friend got to pet the chicks.  Then we said goodbyes and headed home.  If it hadn't been raining, there were donkeys to pet and a picnic planned, but why stir the pot when it had been a very fine day? 

I hope you get out this fall and enjoy apple picking, pumpkin harvesting, or even a fun corn maze!



Now, like I promised, here are the answers to the trivia questions.
1.  Apples are as much as 25% air, which allows them to float.  There is almost no air in pears, so they would sink.  (I actually have not tested this, but I think it would be a fun experiment to do with your kids.)
2.  We were told the largest apple producers (in order) are China, USA, Turkey, Poland, and Italy.  A quick internet search suggests that India may have bumped Italy from fifth place.
3.  Crabapples are the only apples native to North America.  Other types were brought from Europe in the 1700s.
4.  At one time, there were over 16,000 (that's THOUSANDS) varieties of apple in the US.  There are now only 7,000 varieties here.