Williamsburg in Summer

Williamsburg in Summer

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

A Busy Weekend...

Since last October Nathan has been asking almost weekly when we will be able to back to the pumpkin patch.  And Kate has been eager to get to an apple orchard for an afternoon of picking.   This weekend we made both the kids happy, and we had a lot of quality family time in the process.

Saturday morning while Josh was working hard, Grandma Ann, Kate, Nathan and I headed to a small mom and pop orchard just down the road from us.  Being new to the area we are still exploring the farms trying to find out which ones to frequent.  I'm not sure I'll be going back to this one, but we made the best of it and the kids had a lot of fun scouting out the good apples.  Kate got to pick from the tree this year - only having to jump for a few branches.  Nathan searched the ground for apples worthy of taking home - and at a 50% discount since they were on the ground.  Not bad.    We have a large bowl for eating and another bowl waiting for me to make them into applesauce this week.





On Sunday we met my parents at Brookfield Farm in Frederick, Maryland.  This was our third year returning to their Pumpkin Patch.  We love that we are supporting a local farm.  I also love the emphasis on autumn harvest rather than Halloween.  No witches or ghosts to be found at this farm.  It was an added blessing having Papa and Gigi there to find the perfect pumpkin...or pumpkins as the case was.


The hay ride is one of Nathan's favorite parts of the pumpkin  patch!  He and Kate both got to sit on the tractor. 


Daddy made it fun game searching the fields for the perfect shaped pumpkin.  Daddy picked his and the kids got to choose their own too!
 Papa Gallagher and Gigi both left with pumpkins too.  Gigi and I both took home a Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkin.  They are know for a sweet flavor and make a fantastic soup.







They also have a field of cooking squash.  I usually stock up on my butternut for the winter.  I must have left with about 15 -20 pounds of butternut squash.  And tonight we had one of my favorite fall soups with one of Sunday's picks:  Italian Sausage and Butternut Squash Soup.  (See side bar for the recipe.)

The day was beautiful on Sunday, high 70's with sunshine and a cool breeze.  The fresh air was hypnotic calling us on to another adventure.  Josh suggested we stop by Cunningham Falls State Park and take the kids on a hike to the base of the falls.  They had a blast!  We all had a blast!  I love hiking with the kids and Josh.  I look forward to doing more of it in the future.






 Nathan searched long and hard for a walking stick.  He couldn't have been more proud of his find!



I love autumn - the crisp air, the bright blue skies contrasting with the magnificent reds, oranges and yellows of the changing leaves.  The smell of fireplaces burning in the evening.  The roadside stands filled with Honeycrisp apples, squash, and corn.  It has always been my favorite season.  You can take the girl out of New England but never New England out of the girl.