I had 2 requests for my trip home last weekend (besides seeing all my friends and family). The first was to have a real s’more (I told you about that yesterday). The second was to go to an apple orchard and have real apple cider and a doughnut. On Saturday my mom fulfilled my longing for cider by taking me to Uncle John’s Cider Mill. Since my weekend was so full of activities one of my sisters and my nephew joined us on this adventure.
Now, it is just the beginning of apple season in Michigan so they weren’t super busy (yay for minimal lines!!) and not all of their activities were open. It started to rain just before we got there so we decided to head inside first to the cider and doughnuts. I have been to Uncle John’s before since it was on the way from home to college but it was always just for a quick snack and only ever to the bakery section. This time we went upstairs where they have a viewing area and you can watch how the cider being made.
It was really cool to watch this whole process. To give you an idea of scale these pictures were taken over the railing of a 2 story barn. The machine in the left picture is sitting on a platform that is over 6 foot. This process reminds me of how we made applesauce every fall; only they don’t cook the apples and these are processed into juice instead of just apple sauce. Either way the whole thing is a messy and sticky process but yields products that are so good it is worth it. There is just something about fresh cider and doughnuts that are so good. What you buy in the grocery store just isn’t the same.
After we had our snack and were done watching we headed downstairs to the gift shop where we each spent $5 on an activity band to be able to have unlimited access to everything outside. Since it was one of their first weekends open not everything was up and running but we had fun doing what was. My nephew did the Pony Hop and didn’t want to leave the Jumping Pillow. We rode the train around the front part of the orchard and they had ghosts and scarecrows set up as well. Even though it was still overcast and kind of misty we braved the corn maze.
This is their maze from 2011. Not sure what this year’s looks like but from walking it I would guess it is pretty similar. Have you ever walked in a corn field in September? The corn stalks are over 6 feet tall. Some are closer to 7 or 8. It can be kind of overwhelming and disorienting. The sign at the entrance said that if you entered less than an hour before closing time they didn’t guarantee a ride back to your car. None of these things bothered my nephew (he is 5). He ran ahead and found all of the dead ends, or traps as he called them. He also had fun having us all go down different paths but still end up at the same place. All in all it was a great day!! I just wish I could have brought some of the cider and doughnuts back to Florida with me.
What I am currently reading: Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis
Don't worry, I have a book 