Apple Traditions

This year was our 4th year going apple picking and our 3rd year picking at Carter Mountain. The first two years that we picked there, we went with my best friend Anya and her kiddos. Ironically both times we went one of us was pregnant. Yeah we're just kinda crazy like that. We did co-op together for 2 years as well. She moved this past summer to Northern VA- so she's about 2 1/2 hours away. Which just bites, but it could be worse. My other best friend Courtney lives in NY, which is even harder. Gah. But I digress. While I had a great time picking, needless to say, I missed my friends.

I wanted to pick sooner in the month but the apples took longer to ripen this year. So we ended our month of September with apple picking. It was nice to go and have the kids spouting off what they learned about apples or tellings stories about them. At one point Deirdre was convinced that she saw September and heard Mrs. Brambley sing- from our monthly book "Christopher's Harvest Time". 

Jonas was no nonsense about picking. I think he ate close to 5 while we were there and then 2 more on the way home. That boy loves his fruit. Brynna on the other was in food heaven. She just kept gobbling up the apples happily. She immediately knew what we were doing and was more than happy to help pick and add to mama's basket, as well as sneak a few out! Deirdre was more fastidious. She wanted to save her apples for pie, candy apples, and applesauce. God bless her. She takes preserving our food seriously and worries about how much we'll have for the winter, ha! 

Not that I don't. My goal has always been for the past few years when we go picking is to save as much as we can so we don't have to buy fruit out of season. I'd love to get to the point where we can pick all of our fruit but we're not there yet. We blew through our frozen cherries, strawberries and blackberries- even though I picked more than I ever have this past year. We have one big bag of frozen peaches left. We also have only 2 of the dozen jars of strawberry preserves left thanks to my sweet husband who I think has a jam addition. I mean who puts jam in their drinks?? Gah! That's what i get for cutting out juice. Oh and the blueberries didn't even last a month! Jonas broke into the freezer one night and polished off almost half a bag. 

But we should have lots of apple goodies to help us through. We've already made apple pie, apple, pancakes, apple cobbler, and candy apple slices. The rest I have hidden for applesauce and butter! Both of which I make totally in my crockpot! 

So how do you all make your applesauce or butter? Do you have Fall traditions each year? If so what are they? I'd love to know and share! Also I'd love to hear any nighttime photos tips you all might have. My nighttime photos alway looks so yuck!

PS: I am linking up with Linda at Natural Suburbia  Nicole S at Frontier Dreams, and Carrie at Crafty Moms Share. These are also some of my favorite blogs so hop over for a look! 

Until next time,

Autumn Good Morning, Summer Good Night

Yellow the bracken, golden the sheaves.
Rosy the apple, crimson the leaves.
Mist on the hillside, clouds grey and white,
Autumn good morning, summer good night.

~Our verse for September

We've been busy here the past week and half. Happily we began our school year last week. It was a bit early but we are planning on going out of town with our family next week so I wanted to have a bit of flexibility in whether we do school on vacation. 

Our circle time theme this month- which for us is September- will is apples. Stories about them, songs, verses, Johnny Appleseed, and a bit of how they grow and what they're used for. We also will overarchingly be talking about Autumn and saying goodbye to Summer. Our puppet "Squirrely" is helping us do that and is the center of many of our stories and plays about apples and Autumn.

During the 3rd week of the month we'll take a break form Apples to celebrate Michaelmas. I am so excited for it this year. Jonas is really into dragons, so I am sure he'll be rapt with attention for it all.

Later this week I will go into more detail on how our circle times flow and I use them in our daily rhythm. They really are the linchpin of my teaching. 

We use puppets a lot and books. Sometimes I read them, sometime I tell my own version of them and sometimes the kids retell their version of the story and act it out. 

I hope this finds all of you well! Thank you for all the toe love. It's healing- slowly- but I do feel much better. I also am so glad that you all liked my home school planning calender. I hope it is helpful! I will get back on in the morning to answer your questions about it. 

PS: Linking up with Linda at http://www.naturalsuburbia.com/ this week! 

Until then!

Blessings,

They all come from a tiny seed...

Phew, has it already been a week since our apple picking trip? Time sure flies when you're having fun and exhausted! This week we took a week off from co-op due to trips, home births, and general craziness in our schedules  That's what I love about co-op and my Momma partner- we're flexible. So when things come up, oh and they will come up when you have young kids, we can postpone and pick up where we left off. We also don't lose any money! 


Last Friday was our BIG co-op trip to Charlottesville for apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard. This was my first real time apple picking and the kids too. Last year we went to Bush Neck Farms in Williamsburg. The staff, despite calling ahead, was extremely unfriendly. We still made the best of our trip but let's just say we won't ever be going back. 

We decided to drive up during nap time and pick, play, and eat dinner- then drive home. Fortunately our plan and timing worked! The kids napped the whole time and were well behaved. A few melt downs but nothing that could be considered a trip ruined. I mean with four kids under 4, I think they were the best behaved little ones ever.


The orchard, the mountains, the apples, the kids were all so worth the drive. I really did not want to leave. It was gorgeous. The kids were in love. After we picked, they literally just frolicked on a hill playing for close to two hours. Deirdre was just shocked that a tree could make so many apples and that you can make so many things from apples. I really adore seeing her gears turning as well as being awe struck by God's great creation.


Jonas was a hoot. He was super possessive about his apples. He was content to just carry his one apple around and eat it. If he lost that one special apple- despite thousands of other nearby- he got very unnerved. He really seemed to enjoy himself as well. 


To top the trip off, we ate out at a packed restaurant with the kids. They were great, the food was great, and off we went on our way home. I am just so proud of myself and Anya for doing something lovely and enriching for our kids. For keeping our cool and going with the flow. I am slowly seeing some neat changes in my kids too since we've begun this Waldorf journey. I am so excited to see them flower more in the coming months.