Fruit pickin'.

Last year, we took our little family and our good friend Kelsi, and attempted to go apple picking.

It was a total bust that year as they were completely, totally OUT of apples. So, when I learned that the same orchard had peaches ripe for picking and even some apples that are early this year because of the rain (or no rain, I forget), I was hesitant. The orchard is an hour and a half away, after all, so it's not just an easy place to run out and have a look see. Nonetheless, I checked the website which assured me that they had plenty of crop and so yesterday, we set off.

We ended up with good weather, it was overcast and high 70's in the morning and we got there around 10:00am. This was perfect. The peach orchard left a bit to be desired as the stench of the rotting fruit on the ground was SO DISGUSTING. Also, there were swarms of mosquitoes and I can't even count how many bites I got. Susan got a few and Theo seemed to have escaped with only two, but we slathered ourselves with Skin So Soft after 10 minutes, which seemed to keep the rest away. We quickly picked some peaches and headed for the apples. The apple orchard is more open and was not smelly or buggy. We picked some nice Galas, which are my second favorite (after Fujis) and let Theo run around the orchard. They had a pond there which of course, he loved.

We grabbed some pizza for lunch and then headed for home. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with all the fruit, but I knew I wanted to try canning. That night, Theo ate an ENTIRE peach and loved every last bite. He's had three whole ones since yesterday and really seems to like them. Susan tried an apple and Theo and I made two loaves of peach bread last night which came out really well.

Today, Theo and I set off for Wal Mart to pick up some canning supplies. I was a little intimidated because all I've ever made is strawberry freezer jam, but you don't have to do much with that. Proper canning is a whole new ballgame. We found the jars we needed, the accessories and a big canning pot. After a nap was had by all, I got started. I decided to make apple butter, applesauce and sliced peaches in light syrup (thanks, Kelsi!). I didn't get to the applesauce today, but I did the rest. It was easier than I thought, although I think I used every pot I own and discovered it's really hard to make big batches of everything when you are using a Magic Bullet instead of a food processor (note - birthday is in October, a food processor would be nice!). I also really needed two oven mitts and I only have one, but I didn't sustain any injuries, thankfully. Our kitchen is the size of a shoe, so it's a challenge to do much in there, but I got it all done and the jars are cooling their heels on the counter as we speak.

We tried out some of the apple butter after dinner and it was REALLY good. And, it made my heart feel warm and fuzzy to feed Theo something I made with apples he helped us pick, that just yesterday were on a tree. After all that, I even made dinner, though I can't say I wanted to.

Canning was fun! It would be more fun with more work space and better tools, but I really did like it. I'm going to make applesauce tomorrow for the kids to eat through the year and again, warm fuzzy heart over Lucy's first food being something I made with apples her family picked right off the tree. I wonder what else I can make?