A Day at the Farm!

The Barn at Wright Farm, Gardner, NY, about an hour and a 1/2 north of the city

Ahh, it's Saturday mornin' and I am sitting at the computer, coffee cup next to me, Anna sleeping in her swing and Gabe playing with his cars, and I am taking a moment... Before lunch begins, we all have to get ready, and leave for an assignment I have in Brooklyn at 4:30. I am missing Manny who worked at the CBS Early Show and got stuck in the studio doing a music post-tape. I am used to him being home by this time, where we all usually make pancakes for Daddy and sit at the kitchen table talking about our weeks and the blessing of the weekend. Not today, but that's okay. Yesterday was the best family day we've had in a long time.

As we were crossing over the Triborough Bridge and getting closer to crossing over the city's border, I realized I hadn't been out of the city since June. JUNE! No wonder I was beginning to lose my sanity! Thankfully, yesterday was the perfect day to spend in the country. It fulfilled my need for open air, open space, peace and quiet... (And as I write this, there is construction going on next to my apartment and the constant whirrrrrring of a machine drilling into the cement.) Like I was saying... 

It was a little over 60 degrees, sunny and clear skies, and I had been looking forward to this day all of last week. It was a tough week, so the day away was what I would think about when I thought I was going to lose it (seriously). Going on a Friday was a lot better than a weekend day, and besides the people that worked at the Market, we only saw 2 other people in the 152 acres of farm land. We parked the car in a grassy area, and walked anywhere we wanted and picked whatever kinds of apples we wanted. We bought two bags and filled them to the brims! 

Come Monday I will be baking pies like a mad woman, or else they are all going to go bad. I kept thinking "Well they will last up to 2 months in the refrigerator" but what didn't occur to me was "Just where are they going to fit in the there?" So, I'm going to make homemade applesauce, two big pies (one for us and the other for our neighbors upstairs, you know, the Corn Oil guy) and maybe donate the rest to the bread line at our parish. 

You  may be thinking, 'Well, why did you get so many apples?' Let me just clarify that for each adult, it was $9, and each said adult received a bag that you could fill as much or as little as you wanted. Flat rate, $9. I was bound and determined to get our money's worth! Plus, the experience of finding the finest and the best brought out my competitive spirit to be known as The Best Apple Picker on the Planet. 

Anna hung out in the Baby Bjorn all day and snuggled up close to Daddy while Gabe and I just went crazy all over the orchard. The apples were really high up on some of the trees so we'd have to shake them until the apples fell. We packed a picnic lunch and ate in the orchard... We had salads and Gabe had his favorite, pepperoni and Ritz. For a snack, I packed... Apples. Why? I don't know! (Brain fart. Yes, I packed apples for a snack when we were eating in an apple orchard...) Anyway, all was fine until some fruit flies started flying around Gabe's face. Manny and I looked over at him when he started yelling, "Bug, don't do that! Stop that, you bug!" and was literally slapping himself in the face trying to rid himself of the fruit flies. When they still wouldn't go away, he started to pick up his stuff and told us, "I want to leave. I do not like the farm..." Once they left, he said, "Ok, I like the farm again. We can stay." It was really hilarious, for us anyway. 

We loved the signs of all of the different kinds of apples, and found the Macintosh to be particularly delicious (and my favorite kind of laptop). 

When we were done apple picking we headed over to the biggest, best pumpkin patch we have ever seen. They were all so good! In the midst of our search for The Best Pumpkin Ever, we pointed out to Gabe, "Look, Gabe! There's a Daddy Pumpkin! ... And a Mommy Pumpkin! ... And look, a Gabriel Pumpkin!" He loved it. And then, we hear, "Look Mom and Dadda! It's an Anna Pumpkin!" and we looked over and he had found the smallest, most perfect pumpkin in the patch. I can't say it enough. He's awesome. 

After we were all finished, we stopped in the market and picked up mulling spices, apple cider, and pumpkin pie. Much to Manny and I's dismay, they were OUT of apple butter. It was incredibly sad, but we'll get over it... 

Here is a picture from last year's pumpkin patch excursion, and I remember when I saw this then, I thought to myself, "I can't believe I am this huge!" (Point of reference: the bloated cheeks and man-sized wrists.)

At this time last year, there was no Anna either. I love that we entered into this Fall season with new beginnings all over... Oh, and I am down to 49 pounds lost.

For more pictures of our day at the farm, go here.