Our second exciting camping with a purpose trip was to central Ohio where we picked several different varieties of apples. We visited two different apple orchards, foraged for pears, and camped in very cold temperatures with no furnace. It was definitely an adventure, but we had a blast.
Our Camp Site
We set out for Central Ohio in our 2022 Grand Design Transcend 231RK travel trailer, where we camped next to the beautiful Kokosing River. Once we arrived, we set up camp and spent the rest of the day exploring along the river. The temperature was perfect, and the sun was shining! However, this is Ohio, and the weather changes as quickly as a Cleveland Browns quarterback. For the rest of our stay, we had rain, sleet and snow. Temperatures dipped into the low 30’s at night and didn’t get much warmer during the day. This was not the weather conditions we were hoping for, but we made the best of it. There were no campfires and smores to be had for sure.
The camp site was a boondocking site with no hook ups. We actually prefer boondocking most of the time over full hook up sites because it is usually less crowded and more remote. Everything was going great for us until the temps dropped and our heater stopped working. Turns out that you need sun for your solar panels to keep your batteries charged enough to run the furnace. O well, we eventually got through this and made the best of our situation and began exploring the area.
The weather on our first day was chilly but still nice during the day in the sun. We enjoyed a long bike ride on the Kokosing River Bike Trail that led us into a small town and a beautiful historical stone arch that was part of the bike trail. We passed golden corn fields, colorful fall trees, and plenty of farms along our ride.
Apple Orchards
Our first stop was Branstool Orchards. This destination was our primary reason for traveling to this region, but we were a little disappointed with the orchard. Let me explain, Branstool is a beautiful destination for families looking for corn mazes, apple cider, and pumpkins to buy. However, we were looking for something a little less commercial and a bit more “ma and pa” orchard if that makes sense. While at Branstool, we did purchase a bag of Evercrisp apples as well as a bag of misc. apples they suggested would be good for applesauce. The employees were very friendly and helpful, and the orchard looked picture perfect for a fall excursion with the kids.
We continued to explore the area and stumbled upon Legend Hills Orchard. Legend Hills was a little more of what we were originally looking for. It was less commercialized and still had that working farm feel to it. The welcome center had a small country store with apples and pears already picked and for sale, or you could choose to pick your own apples and explore the orchard. This was why we came, so off we went. The price surprised us. To pick your own was $5.00 more a bushel than the apples already picked. We were told that you pay more for the experience of picking, which for us on that particular October day in Ohio, was definitely an experience.
Apple Picking in the Snow
We were given a bushel bag, a map of the orchard, and off we went. Bundled up in layers and toboggans we drove through the orchard to the variety of apples that we wanted to pick. The temperature was in the mid-30’s and a mixture of sleet and snow. This definitely made for a memorable picking experience.
The apples were big and beautiful, and the orchard look amazing as the wind and snow swirled around us. It was cold but we had a great time giggling and playing with our dog as we picked. Crazy weather for sure, but it worked out and we came home with Fugi, Granny Smith, and Jonagored apples. The whole experience was so much fun and another great camping with a purpose trip for sure.
Foraging for Pears
The next day we picked pears on the property where we camped. These pears were not pretty and a little past their prime for picking but we ended up with around 6 gallons. These pears would later be canned up into pear jam, canned pear chutney, and pear cider. It was a lot of work peeling them because of all the bad spots but well worth the time and effort. Another fresh, organic item added to our pantry!
Chilly Nights
We only intended to stay 2 nights, gather apples and pears and then head home. This changed when the weather became colder, and the wind picked up. We had a long drive home and didn’t want to risk driving with the RV in 50 mile an hour wind gusts. So, we decided to stay another night. Since we would not be making a campfire and sitting outside, we used this evening to sip hot tea and build our new apple press that we purchased on Amazon. I’m so glad we brought it with us just in case we had time, because time is what we had.
The apple press is called a Squeeze Master and we used it to make cider. This was our first-time producing cider, and we were so very excited. We also purchased an apple grinder to grind the apples into smaller pieces which helped the cider making go quicker and I believe helped us get more cider. Check out our YouTube video where we make this beautiful cider and can it for another addition to our pantry.
This will probably be our last camping with a purpose trip for the season, but we have big ideas for next camping season. I’m excited to see where we will end up and what items we will find to preserve and stock up on. I hope you will come along with us as we continue this adventure and hopefully this inspires you to visit some farms or a local orchard and try something new. Happy Camping!
Leave a Reply