When I was younger my parents would take us apple picking over the Mississippi in Illinois to Eckert's apple orchard. It is about a 30 minutes drive for us to the Millstadt location. ( they have three locations) Back in the day, we would get there stand in a line where a tractor would pick us up and take us on a ride to pick the apples. We'd pick the apples,come back pay for them, and leave. Pretty simple and alot of fun. We would eat the apples out in the orchard until we couldn't walk anymore.
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| This is the only building I remember from my youth. It looked just like this 25 years ago |
When J and I had kids, i knew I would take them there as well. It's so much more than just a tractor ride now. It's all about having a family day out there. It is $10 per person for anyone over 2. Sometimes you can find coupons online so always check first. I did and found one on their website. There are even deals for weekdays and after school stuff. When you walk in, there is so much to see and do.
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| The girl's were assigned a pig and he won! Go Green! |
They grow apples, pumpkins and Christmas trees here. They have a booming business from august through December.
After all of that fun, we boarded the tractor to pick apples. They have many varieties that they grow but this particular day they were letting us pick the Jonathan, Red Delicious and the Golden Delicious. When I asked them which would be the best to make a pie or dessert, the woman that gave us our bags said , Jonathon. So that's what I went for.
The girls were amazed that we could pick the apples off the tress and just eat them. Although i had to keep telling S that we don't pick the ones on the ground since we didn't' know how rotten they were. The trees were so laden with fruit it was unreal. They said the very warm summer we had caused all of the apples to come in earlier than usual.
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| Don't worry ...she wasn't eating them off the ground. Just adjusting her bag. |
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| Someone else getting a bite. |
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| The nice tractor driver took our pic. Not too shabby. |
We filled all of our bags and bellies and headed back in. All in all, we picked 10 lbs of apples and they were $1.99 a lb to buy. But it's well worth it knowing where they came from.
As we were leaving , we noticed that they were firing off pumpkins in the pumpkin chucker. It shot those suckers hundreds of feet in the air. I couldn't get a good shot but a photo would not have done it justice. A video would have been better.
I hope that they enjoy doing this for a long time to come because I enjoy taking them there and seeing how much fun they have. And I get to eat and buy apples that are fresh. Wait until I show you what i made with them....mmm...mmmm!
Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY Show Off
DIY Shop -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids
Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles
Wednesday
Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk - Southern Lovely -SNAP
Thursday
Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths
Two In Diapers-Mommy Brain Mixer
Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty - My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun
Saturday
Six Sister's Stuff
Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day
it looks amazing! there are some great pumpkin patches around here and I hope we get to go to at least one this fall!
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. It's so worth it. They have so much fun.
DeleteMy kids would have loved that pumpkin chucker! Glad to hear you had a good apple pickin' trip. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's not to far to see the pumpkin chucker. It would be a good Science/math discussion too.
DeleteLooks like a great place to go! We have a local pumpkin patch but it's nothing compared to that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment on my door post. It's been a huge task and definitely a big one for me to tackle, especially alone. Thankfully my dad has decided to help finish it now that I'm working full time again. And I'm seriously sick of messing with it and we needed more of the construction type phase and not stripping paint. It'll be great to have it painted, our new doorbell, and the rest of it done!
That looks so much fun!:) Happy apple-picking day!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Niki.
DeleteGrowing up in St. Louis, our family trip to pick apples from Eckert's was something we loved and a sure sign that Fall was around the corner. I swear by their Jonathon apples...they taste better and are crispier than any other Jonathon I've eaten. Interesting, my Grandma had a recipe for a yummy apple pie she made using red and yellow Delicious apples from Eckert's.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your pictures and the chance to re-visit some wonderful memories. Your little girls are beautiful, they have the faces of angels, how lucky are you?!?!?
Thanks, Judy. I love hearing other people's stories about Eckerts. I'm glad I'm not the only one that loves going there.
DeleteLooks like you have so much fun!! Apple picking is something I've never done in life, but I really want to! Thanks for linking up at Romance on a dime!!
ReplyDeleteWe did. And you so should! It's fun for any and every one.
DeleteWe just went apple picking too:) That farm is too cute. I love the pumpkin chucker! Hope you are having a great week:) Thanks for linking up at Tuesdays with Tori!!
ReplyDeletetori
I saw yours! I'm glad they are all over so that not just some folks can enjoy them.
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