Hometown History 101 - Part 2

What a gorgeous fall day....60 degrees, sunshine, slight chilly wind....sounds like a perfect day to visit the Pumpkin Patch!! We headed out to Jackson's Orchard this morning and found the perfect way to spend a lovely fall day. April has been telling me for weeks that she wanted new pictures of Natalee, so she came along to capture our family day.

So off we went, picnic lunch in tow and what a wonderful day we had. Natalee loved the "apples" which are pumpkins to everyone else. We got lots of good pictures of her sitting in the pumpkins, holding pumpkins, playing in the straw, avoiding the animals in the petting zoo and riding the pony. Here are just a few:

So, how about some Jackson's Orchard history? According to their pamphlet, Jackson's Orchard is a 105 acre farm, and has been an orchard for over 100 years. In 1966, the Jackson's bought the land and began expansion by planting additional trees every year. The orchard now has over 13,000 peach and apple trees, not to mention a pretty impressive pumpkin patch.

In the early years of retail, they sold the fruit off of a wagon placed under the old oak trees which still stand next to the house. The apple barn was built in 1971 and they have continued throughout the years to add to the original structure. The Jackson's now have the store, apple grading area, cider press building, two cold storages and two lovely greenhouses. Here is a family picture that April took of us sitting on one of the original wagons.

Our favorite time to visit is during the month of October. They offer lots of great family fun every weekend by hosting a Pumpkin Festival. You can ride on a hay wagon out to the pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin, ride a pony, experience the petting zoo or get your face painted. They also offer all kinds of edible goodies - fresh popped pop corn, caramel apples, apple and peach pies, fresh apple cider and apple cider slush. We even got to sample a recipe that they have created using their own apple & honey salsa. I've included it below:

Savory Apple & Honey Salsa-Smothered Chicken

16 frozen chicken tender strips

1/4 cup olive oil

Italian seasoning or Southern Delight Classic Seasoning

2 jars Southern Delight Savory Apple & Honey Salsa

Place frozen chicken in olive oil in large skillet, seasoning generously with Southern Delight Classic Seasoning.

Saute at medium heat, covered for 15-20 min, turning to thoroughly cook both sides (covering greatly reduces the cooking time for the frozen chicken). Uncover or partially cover during the last 5 min of cooking time. Pour 2 jars of Southern Delight Savory Apple & Honey Salsa (mild, medium or hot) over the chicken. Cover and simmer for 15 min stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice, pasta, or simply by itself. It's simply wonderful, plus it's low-carb and low-sodium. Serves 4 - ENJOY!

Salsa and seasoning avail at http://www.jacksonsorchard.com/, along with a large selection of preserves, honey, soup mixes, cobbler and muffin mixes, specialty dilled vegetables, canned peaches, salad dressing and much, much more.

OK - now what you have all been waiting for....the challenge announcement! I challenge you to scrap the history of your hometown using your November kit. The deadline for entries will be 11:59 pm on November 14th. Everyone's hometown is different, some are big, some are small, but they are all interesting! The winner will receive a $5.00 gift certificate for Studio Calico. I can't wait to see your layouts!!

Stay tuned for our last installment of Bowling Green Hometown History tomorrow as I give you the information about Lost River Valley.