Washington Delicious Apples
We enjoy our inquisitive and active grandson Kiel and love to bring him exploring new places. It is priceless to watch the fascination on his face when he finds something news. Washington is the No. 1 apple producing states in the country and ‘Washington Delicious’ apple varieties are famous world wide with exports to over 60 countries around the world.
The closest fruit orchards near Spokane is the Green Bluff area. The month of September is generally the best time of the year to pick apples. While different varieties of apples ripen at different times, and the climate varies the harvest from year to year, early fall is almost always a reliable time to go apple picking.
It’s Apple Picking Day!
Kiel is so excited when we tell him it’s apple picking day and we are going to pick many apples. A 30 minutes car ride to Mead, Washington and our destination – Walter’s Fruit Ranch. Walter’s Fruit Ranch is a U-Pick orchard in the heart of Green Bluff. This family friendly orchard grows strawberries, cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples and pumpkins with many fun activities for everyone.
It’s a week day today so not many people are around and we prefer it this way. A staff takes us on a tractor ride and drops us off on the apple orchard. Kiel is all excited, taking in every thing and looking everywhere. He runs to the nearest apple tree as soon as his daddy sets him down on the ground. We eat a few apple varieties to taste which are our favorites and pick some into a box. Kiel wants to help too but he is more excited picking the apples he finds on the ground!
Other Fun Activities in the Orchard
There are other fun activities in the orchard besides picking apples. Grandpa finds a wheelbarrow and gives grandma and Kiel a ride in it. It is so fun and he keeps telling grandpa, “Again!” every time he stops. This boy is a bundle of energy, he runs off all over the apple orchard and gets daddy to chase him. After he gets a little winded, we walk to the farm area where they keep sheep. He is curious so daddy shows him how to pat one.
There is a corn hole sets up near the shop so Shane and Ryan want to play a few games together. However our grandson wants to join in and thinks it is so much fun picking the bags and standing on the boards. The adults play with him for a little while and then mommy diverts his attention to a hay bales play area. He has fun climbing on a hay bale and jumps down and repeats the exercise over and over.
This small bundle of energy isn’t even tired when we call it a day! We go into the shop to pay for our apples and buy some cinnamon pumpkin doughnuts Ryan has been craving for. The shop has a quaint country décor stocked piles with great selections of food, pies, jams, honey, wines…you have to come here to enjoy this place.
Today is certainly a fun day for our grandson and we appreciate a family day out with our children to Walter’s Fruit Farm. We will definitely make apple picking day an annual activity with our grandson. Check out our Lifestyle Fun with Grandkids section for more stories of our family activities.