When Christine and Keith started apple-picking in twenty years ago, it wasn’t a “thing” that most families do. We would visit Mom and Dad (now Grandma and Grandpa) on Columbus Day weekend, and it was something to do on the way to and from Lake Ontario, which Keith liked to visit when he was in the area.
Once we moved to the area after Austin was born, we would continue apple picking, but not travel so far to do it, because we live closer to Lafayette, where there a orchards-a-plenty. Beek and Skiff was so popular that a traffic officer was needed at the intersection near the orchard, but it we passed it by and drove for another 8 miles, there was a little orchard that suited us nicely. There were few people, a small fritter shack, and a variety of other gourds/squash that could be purchased as well.
Over the last 13 years, that orchard – Burrell’s Navarino Orchard – has grown, a lot. They now have a larger and expanded shop that features a bakery and gift shop. They have planted more trees. They have (rightfully) expanded parking. And while it isn’t as busy as Beek and Skiff, it is busy on the weekends … wait for a parking spot and stand in line 30 minutes to get fritter kinda-busy. It is not the experience that Keith is looking for when he goes apple picking.
So this year, we committed ourselves to going on a weekday. Christine works not-too-far from the orchard, we thought that Keith could get the kids off the bus and take them to the orchard on a day that he worked from home. And while that isn’t exactly how it happened, we did find our way to the orchard mid-week and we did avoid the crowds.
It is abundantly clear how much older the kids are when apple picking. They used walk around the tree to find an apple in reach, pick the apple, hold it, inspect it, show us what they had picked, then walk it to the bag, repeat. There were so many opportunities to take pictures over an hour’s time. Now, they walk up to a tree with apples, grab 3-5 at a time, place them in the bag, and they are done in 10 minutes.
Still, the kids picked some apples, the family will have fresh applesauce again this coming year, and the family seemed to enjoy their time out on the orchard. THAT is a good evening.