A wonderful Fall activity: Apple picking

I love Fall in New England! But you could know that if you read some of my previous posts or have seen my photos on IG. Today, November 8th, it is still a beautiful, sunny day, but the weather got a little bit chilly by now. October was wonderful, tho. 16 Celsius (around 61 Fahrenheit), amazing, cloudless sky and skin-warming sunshine. We’ve decided to go apple picking, since it’s the best you can do on a nice, Fall day. I’ve never been apple picking in the States before, but in Hungary, as I’m from the country, I’ve been picking plenty of apples. In Hungary if you go apple picking, or any kind of picking, it’s usually cheaper, than if you’ve just gone to the store, since you don’t have to pay for the people doing the work for you and everything else you pay for. Here, though, it is quite an experience.

We’ve visited the closest facility, the Russel Orchards Farm Store and Winery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The first thing you see is a barn, which we checked out after picking those yummy apples. The barn has a cute little store, where you can buy apples, if you’re too lazy to pick them yourself, Christmas tree decorations and every kind of products made out of apples or organic ingredients, such as soap or honey. You can also purchase hot apple cider- which was absolutely amazing- and fresh apple cider donuts-that were more than amazing. They were hot and very soft, you could even taste the apples 🙂

By the barn, there’s a little pond with ducks swimming around, then you can go see animals like pigs, sheep, a donkey and some chickens. It’s a great place to introduce kids to farm animals.

Then if you’re really into some apple picking, you can hop on a Hayride or take a walk on a path surrounded by all kinds of fruits. We’ve decided to take the Hayride, as it is a fun thing to do anyway. They took us to the apple trees that still had some apples left on them, since we visited a little late in October. You pay $20 for a bag, then you can pick as many as you want til the bag is full. We had a nice, romantic time walking in the rows and trying to find the remaining treats.

After picking our own apples, we stepped into the Winery. $5 for a wine tasting is absolutely worth it, also because you get to keep the glass. We’ve got to try 4-5 different wine with some chocolate and crackers. The lady told us they make the wine at the Farm from their own raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. We’ve got to try some apple cider, too.

Russel Orchards has fruit pickings from June til late October which is an awesome weekend program with kids, or without them if you prefer. I’ve had an absolutely wonderful time and I’m sure I’ll be back next year!

Check out their website for information on pickings and more! http://www.russellorchards.com/

P.s. I made my Gramma’s  Wonder Apple Pie from scratch from the apples we picked. Perfect for Thanksgiving, if you want to suprise your loved ones! The recipe is coming soon!