Fall Begins, Apple Orchard and More

We went apple picking this weekend. It was so much fun. I have always wanted to go, but never had a chance. I normally wait until the weather is too rainy and cold and usually get discouraged and back out, but this year I was determined. Apple picking is a great way to experience the outdoors and when you live in a big city like Chicago, it is also a good chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.

Saturday morning I woke up with a migraine, which has been the norm for the past month. I think it is stress accompanied with my change of activities, so instead of sitting around and feeling bad all day I decided to pack up my daughter and niece and headed to Indiana for a girl's day out. 

September begins the apple season and it is important to dress properly for the occasion. The weather was cool but sunny for us, so we choose to dress in layers and shoes that we didn't mind getting dirty because the grounds were still wet from rain the previous days. 

The drive out was well over an hour and I knew I hit never..never land when I saw countless roadkill along the way. Still open road beats stressful daily north side traffic and it was taking my mind off the pressure my head was experiencing for the sixth day in a row this week. We went to County Line Orchard in Indiana and general admission was only $1. You pay per pound for the apples you pick, so overall the experience is definitely worth it.  Our goal was to get apples and apples only, no pony rides, no train rides, corn mazes, or whatever other activities they had set-up to have my child begging to do. LOL

We made our way around the fields on the tractors. Certain fields were closed because some apples are not ripe until later October.  We picked apples for about an hour and half. There were many to choose from. The girls had so much fun. I just washing the apples in a mild soap with lukewarm water and then rinising with water to removing and residue. Our orchard was not organic and I did see a white residue on the apples so personally I am being safe.

After we were done picking apples we headed to Steak N Shake for lunch and later to the mall for a little shopping. I will definitely add apple picking to one of my fall activities. If you decide to go or have gone this season please share your experiences.