Apple Picking at Wards Orchard

We had a nice morning to pick apples this year at Wards Orchard! It was fairly warm and there was a lot of wind the day before so the drops were great (and much cheaper too)!!!

Here is Mollie chowing away at an apple (one of many), I think she was in apple heaven! She just sat and ate!!!

Watch out! Just kidding, he's not really trying to hit me!

Just the boys!

Just the girls!

The whole gang!

As we went on picking we would move from tree to tree but Mollie just stayed put eating her apple (or should I say apples)!

The whole group at Wards!

"Droplet" Apple Oven Pancake

Here it is! Our "droplet" recipe using 100% "droplet" apples picked up by the one and only Little Explorer Homeschool Group (check out our apple picking post to find out about droplets). This was inspired by a German Apple Pancake recipe in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook which is my favorite cookbook!!! Anyway I was craving something apple for breakfast when I remembered this recipe that I have been wanting to try. I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 c. and added cinnamon to give it my own twist. Here is the recipe:

"Droplet" Apple Oven Pancake

Turn the oven on 450 degrees.
Heat 1 T. butter in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet by placing it in the oven while it is coming up to temperature. In a bowl combine the following and beat with a whisk until smooth:

2 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
Once the skillet is hot spread the butter around to coat the pan and pour in the batter. Bake for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.
While the pancake is baking peel and slice 4-5 apples to make about 4 cups. Then in a saucepan combine :
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
Cook over medium heat for five minutes until thick and bubbly. Add the apples and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes or so until the apples are soft but not mush. Make sure you stir it often so the mixture does not burn. To serve pour most of the apple mixture over the pancake and cut into wedges. Spoon more of the apples onto each serving if desired.

Our Rating:
The kids all ate this and had seconds!!! Ethan even had thirds!!!! They all said they would eat it again so I think we will make it for Daddy on Saturday morning. It was completely gone so I think I will need to double it and make it in my Stoneware Bar Pan to make sure there is enough for him. The boys would have liked it even better if there was no apples in the topping. They ate them but there was a bunch left that I piled onto mine, yummy! I don't think I will double the apple topping for my family but if your kids like cooked apples you will need to!! The kids gave this recipe three out of five stars but I would have to give it at least four.


Check out the Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe swap going on now for more yummy recipes.

Apple Picking At Hatches Orchard

We picked apples on Friday with the homeschool group. It was a beautiful day! The kids had lots of fun picking up "droplets" which is what they were calling the apples that had dropped from the trees already.We are now going to create a new apple recipe with the name "droplets"in the title. We will post it when we make it.

Emmy and Becka posing for a pic.

Mollie got lot's of love from the little girls!

James was a great helper! He loaded apples into his sweater and brought them back to the wagon over and over.

Ethan and Danyelle.

Lexi was too short to pick the apples in the trees, so her daddy gave her a boost!

Great job you guys! Thanks for the help!!

After picking we took a short hike in the Hatches back yard to a field with an awesome view! We ate a picnic lunch and took in the scenery!