October 22, 2026 By Maria
I remember going apple picking many time with friends as a kid and loving it. Now I enjoy taking my kids on apple picking trips. Yes, we get dirty and tired and wonder at some point if it’s worth it when we can pick up apples on any grocery trip with much less effort. Walking through the trees, feeling the fall breeze on our faces, and searching for the perfect apples is definitely more fun and memorable than a trip to the produce aisle. We don’t pick apples every year, but we try to fit it in when weather and busy schedules allow. One time years ago I remember my younger son decided to put on five or more shirts to go apple picking. He dressed himself and we had no idea. The autumn weather that day was a beautiful crisp eighty degrees. We still talk about him, red faced, getting out of the car in the orchard’s parking lot. We started pulling layers off of him immediately because we saw how warm he was. We had no idea he put on so many shirts, and we were laughing each time we found another layer. That day has remained one of my family’s most memorable apple picking trips. The weather that day was pushing summer temperatures, but I prefer the fall weather to be cool enough that we don’t break out in a sweat lugging our bucket of apples through the orchards.
When we go apple picking, we usually always make one or two pies with the apples we pick. We have not grown our own apples yet, but we have tried planting apple seeds. Only one sprouted and sadly wilted soon after. Maybe one day we will be successful. How to Grow an Apple Pie by Beth Charles and illustrated by Katie Rewse is a cute story about a little girl named Sophie and her apple trees. Sophie’s parents planted the trees after she was born and Sophie has grown from a baby to a young girl all the while eagerly watching her trees grow and anticipating their apples. The book gives a basic overview of the care and cultivation of apple trees and of course, the story ends with beautifully harvested apples that Sophie and her mother bake into a pie.
We might not be harvesting our own apples this fall, but I definitely think we will fit a pie or two into the busy fall schedule. Do you enjoy apple picking in the autumn, or do you prefer your apples pre-picked at the grocery store? My kids are usually pretty happy either way, as long as they get to eat them.
