Ripe Raspberries

The last owner of our house must have loved raspberries. There are three different raspberry bushes planted along the fence, and they have gone crazy! The one in the middle has ripened first and seems to be some sort of black raspberry. The kids love eating them. No joke, Joanna has probably eaten close to a 1/2 cup of raspberries each day for the last few days. I keep telling her she's going to turn into a raspberry.

Happy (Early) Anniversary!

Andrew's aunt and uncle are coming into town from Texas next weekend, so we made plans to celebrate our wedding anniversary (6 years!) a week early. Grandparents watched the kids, and we spent the weekend in the mountains! For the first day, it felt really, really nice to have some space from the kids. I started to miss them today, and, by the evening, I was happy to be home to them. Sometimes, a couple days away is exactly what I need!

Andrew and I tried to hike to Hanging Lake with the kids last year. When we got to the trailhead, we saw that it pretty much went straight up. There was no way we could hike it with the kiddos. We had to turn around then, but we tackled it this weekend together! The trail was hard because it was so steep, but we had a lot of fun. I even packed a picnic for us to eat when we made it to the top! It was stunning. We had a great time.

I blogged about our mountain adventures on my travel blog. Those entries are here. 

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from the hike:

This afternoon, Andrew took me berry picking (again!) at the Goose Creek Trail in Lost Creek Wilderness. We didn't have to hike very far at all! We found dozens of raspberry bushes all along the trail. I picked them and tried to decide what I would tell Oliver we could make with them. He loves making new things. Maybe we will try to make a raspberry-topped cheesecake.

 

The kids got to hike, too! My parents took them to Rocksborough State Park. Apparently, the kids were more interested in exploring the dirt and rocks than hiking, but they had a good time!

Picking Wild Raspberries at Meyer Ranch

This morning, we took the kids on a short drive up to Meyer Ranch Park near Conifer. From Denver, all you need to do is take 285 south to S Turkey Creek Road. When you exit the highway, there is a parking lot just on the south side of the highway. We parked there and hiked with the kids for about a mile (mostly uphill). We stopped when we finally spotted some of the wild raspberries.

I read the first week of August is usually the best time for wild raspberries, but Andrew and I are busy all next weekend, so we decided to check it out today. I'm glad we did! There were enough ripe raspberries right off the trail to keep us busy for 15-20 minutes. We saw even more raspberries that weren't ripe yet, so next weekend should be a great time for others to pick.

The hike up was difficult because we had to carry the kids much of the way. If we go again, we might try out a stroller next time because the (unpaved) path was pretty smooth most of the way up!

There were a few forks in the path. We mostly stayed south and west at the forks. When we turned onto the Lodgepole Loop trail, we finally spotted raspberries! Andrew said there are many more off the trail, but we didn't want to venture too far from the trail with the kiddos. So, we picked the ones right on the edge of the path.

Jo wasn't so sure about trying the raspberries at first.

Oliver, who had been grumpy about the hike, immediately perked up when we found berries to pick!

You can see the Foxloop Trail behind Andrew. So, we didn't need to go off the beaten path really at all to get raspberries!

After finally trying the raspberries, Joanna couldn't get enough! She wasn't too keen on picking them for herself, but she eagerly ate the ones we gave her. "More!" she said with mouthfuls of raspberries.

At first, Oliver just ate them all. I finally convinced him to save some, and he kept talking about how he wanted to show "Baby Sawyer" the raspberries he picked.

This part of the trail was nice and forested and shady.

Me and my berry picker!

Check out his loot!

 

Oliver was so happy from berry picking that he ran the entire way back to the car! Going back down the trail and not carrying kids was a lot easier than going up!

My berry-pickin' family.

This was my first time ever picking wild fruit. It was fun! Sure, hiking uphill for a mile while holding 25 pounds wasn't easy, but it was worth it once we started picking.

Pick Your Own Apples!

Yes! Fall is here!

Haha, I'm such a goober. I recognize that one day doesn't really make a difference from the day before, but I love having an official start to fall every year. It gives me something to celebrate! I love autumn. From here to the end of the year is nothing but fun. We get to go up to the mountains to see the changing aspens, we get to go to a pumpkin patch, we celebrate the kiddos' birthdays, we celebrate Halloween, we celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrate my birthday, and then we decorate for the holiday season. The air gets cool and crisp, we bake everything with cinnamon, it's chilly enough to let the slow cooker run all day for dinner. It's just the best.

Today is actually our annual Shattuck Kids' Day. We have more adventures planned for this afternoon, but we spent the morning on a farm!

Last year, I searched for an orchard in the Denver area that would let us pick our own apples. I found just one place--Ya Ya Farm and Orchard in Longmont. I contacted them in August to see when apple picking would start for the season. They told me that they have huge waiting lists to get in because sign-up begins in  early spring! I waited until April and contacted them again. They kindly told me my name was added to the list, and I'd find out this summer if we made the cut. I'm serious.

Well, we made it! Last month, I received a confirmation email that we could come on down today. The drive was a solid hour, and I wasn't sure what to expect. They said they limit each party (no groups!) to one bag of apples. So, I worried it would be a waste of a drive. Let me tell you now--it was an awesome experience. Seriously, it was easily the best thing we've ever done with the kids.

Grandma Judy came with. Jo wasn't up for apple picking, but she loved watching everyone else do it. 

Oliver was all about the apples!

He decided the needed a taste test. They passed.

It doesn't get much better than running around the orchard with Grandma and picking apples from the trees.

 Once the apples were in our bag, Jo decided they were pretty OK.

We went to their little barn store to pay for our bag of apples. My mom bought a box of apple cider donuts (out of this world), and even got us a jar of apple blossom honey.

They were setting up for their annual apple festival today. They do a big barbeque and hay rides, but that wasn't until later. We weren't going to hang around for long enough to join in those festivities, but we did decide to spend some time exploring the farm.

Chickens!

The chickens were fat and happy and seriously roamed around clucking, "Bawk, bawk, bawk, bawk." Oliver loved them, and Jo frantically tried to propel herself to the chicken enclosure. Here she is desperately pointing, wanting so badly for Grandma to let her play with the chickens.

Jo got to meet a horse. Well, she didn't get too close obviously. She laughed and laughed at the horse. Then, she asked Daddy for a pony.

We also visited the turkeys.

And we pet the farm cat. Oliver was afraid of the old farm lab, Betty, but he loved the cat.

She's hunting for something!

In addition to a pony, Jo wants a pet kitty.

We went back to the shop and bought a basket of carrots and apples to feed the horses ($1).

Oliver was too afraid to feed the horses himself, but he excitedly told Andrew which horses to feed and what to feed them. Jo gleefully laughed and squealed every time a horse took one of the fruits or vegetables.

We spent a couple hours enjoying the farm. The kids had a blast, and when we finally decided it was time to go, Andrew told me we should come back and do this "a few times a year!" This farm only does apple picking, but I am going to check out a few places closer to our home that let people come to pick their own berries and other produce.

Once we got home, Oliver and I immediately got busy making applesauce. He loves our apple peeler (Thanks, Grandma Colleen!).

Here are our peeled apples. We split our bag with Grandma Judy, and we still ended up with a good amount.

If you've never made your own applesauce before, it's so simple. It's easier than mashed potatoes! Just peel and chop your apples and put them in a pot. Add enough water to just cover the apples, put a lid on your pot, and simmer the apples for about 30 minutes (maybe just 20 minutes at lower altitude). Once the apples are fairly soft, take the lid off and mash them. Cook your applesauce until the water mostly cooks away, and you're done!

Our homemade applesauce: