This Juicy Activity is My Fave Family Tradition
Picking apples has been a tradition in my family for literally as long as I can remember (as in, I do not remember a year in my life that we didn't pick apples). It started off as the four of us; my father, my mother, my brother, and me, but over the years the attendees have dwindled. Some years I brought friends, last year I brought Adrian, yet my father and I continue to see the importance of taking time out of our busy schedules to leave the city and stuff our faces with the ripe red fruit. This act, to me, is what fall is all about. The leaves can't change and the snow can't fall unless I've consumed my weight in apples.
The tradition stands that we each pick a bag, so the more hands to hold them the better. Basically, my family eats a lot of apples. I was convinced as a child that my father was made of apples, seeing as he used to bring three or four (an exaggeration?) with him to snack on at work. We used to go to Chudleigh's, back when entertaining 3 year old me was the top priority. That place is a pint-sized theme park, fully equipped with attractions such as hay-mazes, tractor rides, and petting zoos alike. We'd run through the pumpkin patch, eat roasted corn right off the cob, and fantasize about taking home the perfect apple pie. Over time, however, we lost interest in all that sparkle and set our sights on more important priorities like seeing how many apples it took to put us into a food coma. This year, we went to Albion Orchards instead.
While this place was no Chudleigh's, and there were no "bumble crumbles" to be seen, we still enjoyed reminiscing in my childhood and the memories from over the years (with a little added coffee thrown in for good measure). Family traditions are a good way to bond with your family, especially when you don't see them as often as your grow older like me. My family is never too far away, but slowly the places from when I was a kid are disappearing. That is why apple picking with my Dad will always hold a special place in my heart. What are some of your family traditions? Let me know in the comments!
