apple picking

It’s October, and the air is getting crisp, the leaves on the trees are starting to change all sorts of beautiful colors, Starbucks has started serving their annual pumpkin spice lattÃ©s… it’s officially fall!Â Autumn is also the perfect time to go apple picking, and we decided to take Mio to go apple picking for her first time last Saturday. Actually, the best time to pick apples if you want a great variety to choose from is September, but there are still plenty of winter apples waiting to be picked in October. It was a beautiful day — hot, even (with highs in the mid-80s) — and it was the perfect weather for an outdoor outing! We chose to go to Hartland Orchards in Markham, Virginia, which is about a 50 minute drive west. The drive over was nice, as a lot of the trees along the highway are just starting to turn golden, with some hints of red.

Rows of apple trees at Hartland Orchards

A lot of the better apples were towards the top, so Mio got some help from Daddy to pick the apples.

Carefully placing the bounty in the bag... — Carefully placing the bounty in the picking bag…

I couldn't climb the trees, but picked a couple myself... — I couldn’t climb the trees, but picked a couple myself…

A lot of the apples we picked were Red Delicious!

Mio would sometimes try to eat some of the apples that were on the ground, so we had to stop her. — Mio would sometimes try to eat some of the apples that were on the ground, so we had to keep an eye on her.

Mio liked to try hanging on the lower branches of the trees.

It was such a gorgeous day at Hartland Orchards! — It was such a gorgeous day at the apple orchard!

Hartland Orchards also had pumpkin patches for picking pumpkins! Mio exclaimed, “pumpkin!” when she saw the fields of orange gourds.

Moving onto the pumpkin patch after apple picking.

Pulling a heavy cargo! — Pulling a heavy cargo… and we haven’t even picked our pumpkins yet!

Already taking bites into one of the apples she picked... — Already taking bites into one of the apples she picked…

I think she loved seeing the pumpkins more than the apples!

Here’s a quick video montage that I put together of some moments from our apple picking outing, using the RoadMovies app on my phone!

At the end of the trip, we picked a whole bunch of apples and it only cost us a $1 at checkout! (We did spend a little more on some delicious apple cider they were selling there, though. I may not be a big fan of pumpkin spice lattÃ©s, but I could never turn down a glass of apple cider!) We have plenty of apples to munch on, and I smell some apple pie, turnovers, and tarts in the not-too-distant future… 🙂

Crooked Run Orchard

Hartland Orchard

‘Tis the Season… for Apple Picking!