It’s Apple Week!

Fall has arrived and are beyond ready to celebrate our favorite time of year! We love planning activities to honor the seasons and outings that connect to the natural world, and the options are seemingly endless in the fall! Before we turn our attention to all things pumpkin, we wanted to focus on another beloved autumn symbol: apples! So, we have decided this week will officially be known as Apple Week in our house! Our time together as a family will focus on all things apple– cooking, crafts, books, and the very best, apple picking!

We discovered Douglas Farm when we went peach picking this summer. Our experience was so wonderful we knew we wanted to return when it was time to pick apples. The Gravensteins were ready and the branches were so loaded with fruit that they drooped low enough for Cole to pick all by himself! He was beyond thrilled!

Gravensteins make excellent applesauce! We whipped up a batch by adding peeled, chopped apples to a sauce pan with a little lemon juice and a splash of fresh apple cider. We covered the pan and let it bubble away over medium-low heat for about 2 hours. Delicious! If you want to make your homemade applesauce even more decadent you can turn it into apple butter! We enjoyed some this weekend to welcome the first day of fall and shared the super easy instructions here. Seriously, do yourself a favor and whip up a batch. It is so delicious on pancakes and waffles!

Cole did such a great job picking and adding the apples to the boxes! He only stopped to nibble a few.

Cole thought he saw a “pider” on the apple and he was very concerned!

We made a quick stop at the plum trees and these adorable little frogs were hopping all over on the ground. Isla was beyond thrilled to make this little froggy friend!

As she has done every fall since she was 2, Isla chose a squash to bring home. Inspired by our favorite fall book, Sophie’s Squash, she decorates the squash with a face and plays with it all season. You can find more of our favorite fall books for kids here.

Apple picking was the perfect way to celebrate the harvest season, and we are looking forward to all of the fall fun we’ll share together during our Apple Week! We hope you’ll follow along and find a bit of inspiration to share with your families. If you have a favorite apple recipe or activity, please share!