Fruit Picking With Quad E

Earlier this month I had shared our strawberry picking adventure. But that was only the beginning of our fruit picking fun this summer. For some reason we have done a whole lot of fruit picking this summer.

First there was the strawberries, followed by cherries, peaches, and nectarines. In the next few weeks, we will probably go back and pick some apples before fruit picking season official ends.

Cherries are another of triple E's favorite fruits and it was something that neither my husband nor I had picked before so we were excited to try it. Turns out they are really difficult to pick. The trees are pretty high and require a ladder to really get up there to pick some good ones. Highland Orchard's website had recommended a step ladder so we had only brought some chairs with us thinking they would do the trick, but turns out they didn't help too much! It took a long time to pick a good amount of fruit, partly also because the kids were eating as we were picking! Later on, my mom who has been staying with us helping with E4, discovered another part of the cherry orchard that had some smaller trees bearing different kind of cherries that were much easier to pick, so we scurried on over there to fill up our tray. The kids had a great time in the week or so after we went picking eating all the cherries, but this is definitely a fruit that I will leave to the experts next time and just buy from the store.

Peaches and nectarines grow on rather similar small trees and they were much easier to pick. The key is to not only look at the color of the cheek but the small area close to the stem to see if it is yellow or red before picking. The kids really enjoy seeing how fruits grow and of course eating the fruits right after they are picked.

Another reason they really enjoy fruit picking at Highland Orchards is because there are some goats on the premises that E2 and E3 like to pet and feed whenever we are there.

Really hoping we will get a chance to go back to pick some apples before the end of the season. In the meantime, here are some pictures from last years apple picking trip.

Does your family like to go fruit picking? What are your favorites?

Zi