Picking Apples at Hilltop Orchard

A Day at Hilltop Orchard

1On a crisp fall morning, Nia and her cousin Mateo rode with Aunt Hana to Hilltop Orchard. Rows of apple trees covered the hill, and the air smelled sweet. Before they started picking, a worker handed each of them a cloth bag.

2Nia wanted the shiny red apples at the top of a tree, but she could not reach them until Mateo brought a short ladder. Mateo held the ladder steady while Nia climbed two steps. She twisted an apple gently, and it popped right off the branch.

3The cousins picked apples until their bags were heavy. Mateo found a green apple with a tiny worm hole, so he left it on the ground for the birds. Although Nia was getting tired, she kept looking for perfect apples.

4After Aunt Hana paid for the apples, everyone rested on a wooden bench. Their fingers were sticky, so they washed their hands at a sink by the barn. Mateo wanted to bake a pie, yet Nia wanted to make applesauce. Aunt Hana laughed and said, "We have enough apples for both. If we hurry home, we can make them today."