Fall Picking: A Healthy Activity to Bond as a Family
Are you looking for a healthy activity to bond as family this fall? There are many choices available to you – tag football, bicycle riding, horseback riding and others. While some activities are great for the whole family, others may not be right for everyone. What if you could find something that everyone could do with the exception of the smallest babies? Keep reading to find out more.
One thing that everyone in the family has to do, no matter how old they are, is eat. If you are able to find local orchards, a fun and healthy activity you can use to bond as a family is to pick fruit. In many areas of the country you can find a variety of fruit orchards. If you don’t know of any orchards or are new to your location, head over to the pickyourown.org website. They offer a big list of places throughout the United States where you can pick your own fruit.
Many varieties of apples are ready to be picked in the fall months. After you’ve checked out the pickyourown.org website, or if you already know of some apple orchards, give them a call to learn their hours of operation, if they still have apples available and directions on how to get there.
Pears are another fruit that can be found in abundance during the autumn, depending upon where you live. If you’ve only ever eaten fresh or canned pears, you are missing out. Pears can be used in much the same way as apples. You can cook with them, make pear butter or bake with them and they make great a great jam. If you can’t find any recipes you like in a cookbook, take a look online. You’ll be surprised what you can do with a pear!
Persimmons are not available in all areas, but if you’re lucky enough to have them grow in your region, you should give them a try. Persimmons are a wonderful fruit that can be used in a variety of ways. Try persimmon soup – it’s delicious! Use them in donuts, cookies and salads or simply eat them like an apple. Remember, persimmons must be picked after the entire fruit has turned orange, otherwise you should be prepared to pucker up.
Pumpkins may be starting to appear in your local grocery store and you can certainly buy one from there. However, there’s nothing quite like searching a pumpkin patch for the perfect one. Small children especially enjoy this activity. Some farms offer other activities besides pumpkin picking, so you may want to check out several farms if they are available in your area.
No matter which fruit you choose to pick, make sure everyone dresses in lightweight layers so they can keep warm should there be a nip in the air. They will also want to be able to shed layers in case they get too warm. Comfortable shoes, a brimmed hat and gloves will also make for a better experience. If you plan to be out for several hours, don’t forget the sunscreen. Even though the temperatures are cooler, you still can’t get sunburned.
Once your family has spent the day picking out the perfect fruit, you may be wondering what to do with all this produce. Sit down with your family and decide how you want to use the fruit and then have everyone pitch in to prepare it. Not only is the picking a great activity to use to bond as a family, preparing the fruits and cooking them are also great bonding experiences. In addition, your family will appreciate the food more since they were part of the experience.