Apple Rain!

So we went down to the Farm to pick apples and make juice. Usually that is a multi-day effort (well, they had been picking for a few days before), but this time, because of the hard frost which froze all the twigs and leaves, the apples were dropping (like apples!), and Kendrick got up in the trees and shook the fruit down onto tarps and it was much speedier than picking them all off the branches by hand. And then we made juice that same afternoon. We weren't there for the whole effort, but we got 20 gallons and John was able to pack it all into the freezer except for one batch to bottle and a gallon to drink straight.

Apple Juice!

Betsy and Ethan are ready to work at the orchard--and get busy with John picking up the fallen apples.
J.Lynn picks up the fruit that Kendrick shook out of the tree:
We're done! Grandpa carts the equipment back down the lane to the barnyard:
The Lane:
Bryce and Shane wash apples while Cindy rinses out the 5-gallon jugs:
J.Lynn, Kelly, Pesi, and Grandpa run the apple press:
Trent and Tana jug the juice. Yum!
And one gratuitous picture of Ethan.