Apple Picking Adventures

The fact that it is officially fall almost seems too good to be true! Considering that our spring and summer were consumed with quarantine anxiety, beginning a new season is enough to make me feel immensely grateful. This fall seems particularly cathartic, as we have come to appreciate so many little things that we took for granted before the pandemic hit. That includes much of the fall family traditions we cherish every single year – from visiting our local pumpkin patch, to picking our own apples at the apple orchard, as well as visiting harvest festivals around town. Everything is a little different and we are still adapting to this new normal. While this year’s activities might feel unfamiliar, they still have the ability to help us create lots of fun memories along the way.

This weekend, we decided to venture up to the North Georgia mountains to visit the BJ Reece Apple Orchard in Ellijay, Georgia. We had so much fun!! This beautiful area of Georgia consists of rustic farms, quaint towns and lots of southern charm! We opted to leave our house early in order to be one of the first arrivals to the orchard, which is located one hour north of our home. It was definitely the right move, as we waited in almost no line and had about an hour of no crowds before things started to pick up. Plus, it was cool enough outside to wear some cozy fall clothes #priorities.

The orchard took lots of precautions in order to maintain proper health measures, and our family felt very safe throughout our time there. The U-Pick area is expansive enough where we never felt on top of other apple pickers. The general store and bake shop required face masks – thankfully my kids are pretty good about complying (Ben insists on ones with his preferred team logos). It was a bit of an adventure to find trees that had reachable apples available, but once we did the kids had fun grabbing them and filling up our bag.

One of the biggest mom fails I had last year was not having a foldable sports wagon! We finally got around to buying one and it’s already come in handy. When we went apple and pumpkin picking last year, we realized how great they are for so many family activities, from sports games to seasonal outings such as these! This is the wagon we have from Costco and we have really been loving it. The kids are able to ride in it, and it was quite nice not to have to lug those apples back to the car by hand.

The only hiccup during our apple picking adventure was a passing storm that hit about 10 minutes into our arrival. I guess my weather app was not lying about the 20% chance of rain. We had to hide under an apple tree for shelter and slipped in the mud more times than I could count. It made for lots of laughs (and lots of mess). Reminder to myself to bring a change of clothes and Hunter boots next year! Ben and Olivia thoroughly enjoyed jumping in puddles and getting soaking wet!

The orchard itself had lots of activities for kids, including a petting zoo, apple cannon, pig races and a big slide! The general store was charming and smelled heavenly! They had all of the classic orchard staples – bags of apples, whole pies and of course apple cider donuts! We also tried something called a fried apple pie which I had never had before. It was along the lines of an apple turnover – so delicious! I might have to try to recreate it at home! Vegetables, homemade honey and fresh jams were also available to shop, and we also came home with fresh potatoes, a bag of popcorn and some pear chutney.

Navigating family outings with young kids in brand new ways can be very nerve-wracking . As a mom, I struggle with wanting to keep my kids in a bubble at home, but also wanting them to enjoy special childhood moments such as these. Moving into the holiday season, I think we are all figuring out how to find balance, seeing what our comfort level is and making sure we take as many precautions as we can. I am thankful everyday for the resiliency of children and how they have a knack for always finding the joy, which serves as a great reminder for me to do the same.

With Love,

Stephanie