Up, Up, Up! Its Apple-Picking Time

While this book does have some limitations content wise, it has strength in reconnecting the non-farm public to the farm. The heartwarming tale of a family visiting the grandparent's orchard to pick apples and picnic will be a favorite with children. The inside cover of the book has illustrated versions of many apples, some common, others heirloom varieties. As the book is used, please address that large full-grown apple trees are rarely seen on most farms. Newer dwarf varieties are much safer for pickers to harvest and yield a high quality fruit with less energy and pest control chemicals required. The one caution is that students need to be told that due to the dangers of E. coli contamination, drop apples are no longer harvested for pressing into cider. They should be left on the ground where insect damage, rodent and bird droppings contaminate them.