Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005. You can leave comments below. She may also be reached at editor@syracuseparent.net

A good time is ripe for the pickin’
Posted on Fri, October 2nd, 2009
Written by: Jennifer Wing, Editor
email: editor@syracuseparent.net

Now that fall is officially here, it seems there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. With work, household chores, the kids’ homework and extra-curricular sports and activities, I sometimes feel I can’t catch my breath.
I’m not complaining, mind you, as this is the life I wanted - career, marriage and, of course, children.
The problem I’ve recently encountered is not being able to spend time with the kids. It’s hard enough to get them to bed at a reasonable hour, forget playing a board game or throwing the ball around in the back yard.
That’s why it was particularly important that we make our annual trek to Beak & Skiff Apple Farm for an al fresco lunch, pony rides for the kids, a trip to the store for fudge, candy apples and cider and, of course a ride on the wagon out to the orchard in order to pick the juicy fruit made famous by fall. (Apples ripe this past weekend were of the MacIntosh, Cortland and Gala varieties. Visit beak&skiff.com for a picking schedule, directions and other information.)
The kids were ready to hop to it, Cassidy with a bit of trepidation, as she had a “wiggly” front tooth and was concerned that biting into a crisp apple might cause her chomper to dislodge.
Saturday brought bright blue skies and autumn temperatures as our “party of five” - Eric, Jacob, Cassidy, my folks, mother-in-law and I, all boarded the tractor powered wagon on our way to the orchard.
Once we arrived at the area where picking could commence, we heard from one of the farm’s workers the correct way to pick an apple and where each variety of apple could be found.
My husband set off in search of a ladder and I, as always, forced my unwilling children to pose for a picture among the trees.
We then headed out to pick some Galas, sampling the other offerings on the way to the appropriate rows.
Ten pounds of apples later, we were back at the buildings, visiting the country store, where you can find everything from maple butter to live bees on display in an old silo. You can watch the farm’s own “worker bees” making cider and grab some Buttercup cheese, a brand favored by my parents.
On the way home, we remarked on the beautfiul scenery, which will only become more and more spectacular as the leaves change with the season.
All in all, we had a wonderful, traditional family day to celebrate all things fall.
Next stop: The Hollow Pumpkin Farm, located west of Syracuse, near Onondaga Community College. (Tune in next month to see if we encountered any gouls along the way!)

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005.