We set off to one of our favorite places to pick fruit - Jollay Orchard
The fall season offered up some nice photo ops :)
Race to find the best fruit!
Brooke picks high ...
Ryan picks low...
Time for the taste test.
Note the careful inspection. Cant have bugs. Cant have dirt. Cant actually be a vegetable in disguise.
All the eating slows down the picking :)
All the farms are so different, and each has its own pros and cons. The big con of Jollay is the touristy feeling. They have a whole area set up with a ferris wheel and rides that they charge a hefty fee to get into. Each year we've told the kids that area is closed and they've bought our story. This year they knew something was suspicious, but still didnt argue. Next year it wont work. On the other hand, there are many positive aspects. Jollay is really big - it has tons of varieties of apples and peaches. It also has tractors that take you out into the fields - which is really one of the best sellers for the kids. Smaller orchards dont need tractors. There are other orchards that have tractors but are less efficient (we've waited over 30 minutes on a hot day waiting for a tractor in a different orchard) and make the whole trip quite stressful. Jollay has well run, timely tractors that pull us around and put nice, big smiles on everyone faces :) That's the seller.
