Eastern Colour Farm

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Posted 2023-04-26 by Chandra Clements ⇒ follow

Pick Your Own Apples and Strawberries

My children have grown up under the dizzy Gold Coast lights. I grew up in country NSW. These childhoods are worlds apart, not to mention the time difference. My father regularly brought home fresh produce from the farm, so eating fruit and vegetables straight from the paddock was normal for me. I hadn't thought much about this until I decided to take my kids to the Eastern Colour apple-picking weekend at Applethorpe in the gorgeous Scenic Rim. The results of this expedition were a great road trip, great memories, bucketloads of apples and strawberries in my fridge, and very contented children. Oh, and the obligatory photo of the Big Apple of course!

On any normal day, this would be a tedious tale. 'Woman Takes Kids to Get Apples' is hardly breaking news. Yet in a world of highly processed food and supermarkets brimming with tasteless items, I want to share this story to bring light to what is possible when we notice what we have lost. My kids had never eaten an apple picked straight from the tree. I would not have realised what a big deal this was until last weekend.

Located at 24 Aerodrome Road, Applethorpe, QLD, the farm is a solid three-hour venture from the Gold Coast and about the same from Brissie. Eastern Colour is a family-owned farm, run by genuinely good people. Make a weekend of it and stay at one of the gorgeous cabins located around Stanthorpe and explore the Cheese factory , the Maze , the countryside, the hiking trails, Suttons Juice Cafe and Farm , and the many other farms scattered about.

Now let's talk apple and strawberry picking. Down a dusty trail and covered in nets lies the Eastern Colour Pick Your Own Adventure. My kids bounded out of the car and loved the sharp drop in temperature that hit them having driven from the Gold Coast. We grabbed a box and headed into the apple trees for an experience that will never be forgotten. The kids grabbed the vibrant fruit and filled the box quickly. We took photos of every ray of light coming through the trees and highlighting the pink lady gems. My two-year-old thought he was the king of the fruit and just couldn't contain his excitement over what was occurring. He bit into one of the apples and devoured it in a minute flat.

He was just as excited when we headed into the strawberry aisles. We were greeted with fat, red fruit hanging everywhere and the smell of freshness was divine. We filled more punnets than we had planned to buy yet it was too tempting. I was also rather certain it would all get eaten. This is where the highlight of the trip hit home. My seven-year-old sampled the strawberries, after also sampling a pink lady apple, and turned to me. She said, "Mum, why doesn't fruit at home taste like this?'. Two hours later, seven apples and a whole punnet of strawberries (not the tiny punnets you get in the stores - a huge cardboard punnet) were gone. I looked at my kids and saw how happy they were. And I realised that picking and tasting fruit and veggies straight from the source is a rite of childhood that should not be denied to anyone.

Sometimes it is the simple things that matter the most. Sometimes it is when we are not trying so hard that we actually excel as parents. Sometimes when we go back to basics we live a better life. Sometimes eating an apple or strawberry is not that exciting.... unless that apple or strawberry comes straight from the farm. Sometimes you have to travel three hours to get dirty and grab some unwaxed, untouched, tasty fruit to replenish the soul and tap into how Mother Nature intended things to be. Find yourself and your kids an apple tree this weekend and enjoy the mind-blowing flavour!