Apple Fest

Nothing shouts Autumn is Here! like apples and this past weekend I took the minions to Living History Farms for their Apple Festival. It's been quite a while since my last visit to LHF and it was the minions' first trek out there and I will admit, it was fun to go again and revisit an old haunt through new eyes. Some things had definitely changed though - the stores used to be a lot more interactive and busy but I suppose that went away when they built their big welcome center/gift shop. And I don't think they let you eat any freshly-made samples anymore; everything is out of a container which is a bit disappointing though understandable I suppose.

In case you haven't been to Living History Farms, here are some photos that I took during our outing.

There is a main town section that houses oodles of fun buildings with little treasures inside.

The minions got to try their hands at the apple press/cider maker machine. Sorry, I'm not up on my technical terms there... You put apples in, turn the crank which chops the apples up and the pieces land in a bucket which is then pressed for the juice.

Man those apple fritters were tasty!

My favorite part though, was wondering around and seeing all the handmade lovelies - the women that were in the houses were all knitting or crocheting something and their handiwork was displayed all around. Perhaps I was born in the wrong era - making things at home while tending to the kids, handwritten letters instead of emails, farm-fresh food...

The minions had a good time there and I foresee us going again. There's a Prairie Christmas something-or-other in December that I am curious about.