{Autumn Bucket List} Pick fruit, make things with it

Well it actually says 'Pick fruit, make crumble with it' on our Autumn Bucket List, but what we have actually done is so much better!

My lovely next door neighbours (we'll call them "The C's") let us raid their apple tree and we came away with three carrier bags stuffed full of big gorgeous cooking apples, and we immediately got stuck in with washing & baking. As well as a fun Autumn activity, picking fruit from the tree is much more exciting than just grabbing a bag in the supermarket and helps kids to take an interest where their food comes from.

H took great delight in climbing up the tree and taking his pick of the fruit, for the ones he couldn't quite reach Mrs C handed him the washing line pole & H had great fun giving the branches a whack while we dodged the falling apples below!

Mrs C also picked up E so she could reach the ones low enough for her to grab & twist and E ran around grabbing up all of the apples that H dropped for us. They didn't want to stop! Mrs C & I had to coax H out of the tree because he wanted to carry on. The promise of more apple picking next week got him to come down!

E & H picked up the bags & staggered back home with them - lucky we only live next door, really! - and we transferred most of them into our big basket, and washed a bowl of them ready to use for our afternoon creations!

I set about looking up recipes of things that were quick & easy to make and that the kids could help out with - and enjoy eating after. I found applesauce, apple jam and a stunning cinnamon apple cake that I simply had to try!

H made a start on peeling the apples first of all, & E helped cut them up (with a butter knife, of course, I didn't fancy a trip to A&E) and then assisted me in transferring them into the pan for the applesauce, while H measured out the butter, sugar & water.

We made a jar & two little pots of applesauce (ready for packed lunches on Monday) and I had a go at the cinnamon apple cake, which we're having for our dessert after our homemade pizzas this evening. I'm not going to lie, I sneaked a small square of it - purely to test it and make sure it was safe for others to eat, you understand. It was delicious. I can definitely see more of that in our future, can't let those apples & our hard work picking them go to waste now can we!

I have linked this post with #CountryKids at Coombe Mill

& #MagicMoments at The Oliver's Madhouse