How bout dem apples!?

So we got to the point where we could hardly stand to see another apple on the ground, rotting its way to a brown, mushy, bug-infested death. We decided it was time to do one final round up. Shake the trees. Collect the mother load. We had plenty of helpers. Wyatt was eager to help pick and Hadley was eager to help eat. She dug around in the bag for the apple she wanted, took a bite, inspected it, then threw it back and selected another one. We finally got smart and moved the bag out of her reach. 

Monkey see...monkey do.

Last year, we donned our bike helmets to protect us from falling fruit. This year, we decided to tough it out, or at least Dayven did. He climbed to the top of the ladder. Yes, past the rung that says "Climbing above this rung may result in injury or death" in an effort to reach the unreachable ones. When he had gotten all he could get, we employed the sheet method, which consisted of each of us holding the sheet by a corner while one of us kicked the trunk of the tree, catching the apples as they tumbled down. We missed more than a few. If only I had a third arm! (I think that often actually).

Kids, don't try this at home!

Only a couple have been "sampled".

I peeled, cored, chopped, froze and packaged batch after batch. We'll be eating apple-laced baked goods for the next 6 months. Finally, when I could chop no more, I began boiling and grinding the heck of of them. Now they're apple sauce and apple butter!

Apple crisp...apple pie...apples a la mode, oh my!