Traditions of Fall – Apple Pie, Pumpkins and Family

Traditions of Fall – Apple Pie, Pumpkins and Family

What are your favorite traditions for fall?  One of our favorites is to head to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch close to us. 

Going to this particular place is something we have done every year since the girls were born and my stepdaughter was a toddler. First, we pick our apples.  

Then, we head to the pumpkin patch where the girls choose their pumpkins.  Lastly, we cart it all back in the little red wagon they provide us with and reward ourselves with a trip to the farm store.

Through the years, we have gone in all kinds of weather.  One year we had to wear our winter coats it was so cold.  

Another year after a substantial rain, our boots were caked in mud when we returned.  And, sometimes we get lucky and the kids get to wear shorts!

One thing that doesn’t change is our tradition of taking a picture of the kids.  Every year we take their picture by the scarecrow with measurements on it so we can see how much they have grown. 

From when H was a baby and my husband held her up in front, to the year when S was just born and we put her stroller in front of it, we have images that show the passing of the years.

Why Traditions Matter

We started this tradition for our family, not because it was something my family did, although we had lots of other traditions, but because as a blended family it was important to create things that said “This is who we are.”  I hoped that by having this and other traditions it would help to ground them and us as a family.

My youngest girls love it still.  Our oldest, who is 17 now, wasn’t there this year for various reasons (she is 17, right?).  Maybe she has outgrown the need for reminders of the passing of time.  

Traditions like these help to mark the seasons before they zip on to the next one.  Time will tell.

I hope she will do something similar with her own family someday, or maybe she will forge her own traditions.  I know we missed her this year.  

But, we will continue with this tradition until it morphs into a new one somewhere over the horizon.

Traditions of Fall You Can Also Eat – Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie

Of course, when we are done picking apples we always have too many to eat right away.  This is one of our favorite recipes for using up all of those apples, Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie.  It is a delicious caramel delight.  We’ve made it many times over the years and are never disappointed.

If you try it, please let me know what you thought in the comments below.  Enjoy!