Apple picking is always at the top of my autumn bucket list, and on the first cool fall weekend this year I got my family into the car on a mission to find an orchard. It ended up being a challenge – the first orchard we visited was closed, and the second one we arrived at didn’t actually have apple picking, it was just a farm stand with apples for sale. I promised Jane apple picking and I was so bummed out when we couldn’t find an orchard for our fall weekend excursion.The funny thing about toddlers though is that they have very low expectations. So when Jane saw the bags of shiny red apples at the non-apple picking farm stand she exclaimed “Mom! Let’s pick these!” And so we did, we picked our big bags of delicious local apples from the farm stand instead of the apple trees and stocked up on some apple cider, and fragrant warm cider donuts and had all of the fixings we needed for a delicious fall picnic! To pack the perfect picnic for your apple-picking excursion, I always start by stocking my basket with the essentials! A set of Chinet® Cut Crystal® plates is key for sharing snacks, like oh-so-good cider donuts. They’re sturdy enough to stand up to big slices of apple pie, and keep crumbs off my cozy wool picnic blanket. For drinks, my picnic basket gets a set of Chinet® Comfort Cup® insulated hot cups and lids. These cups are perfect for on the go excursions like a trip to the orchard — the double-layer insulation keeps everything from hot apple cider to pumpkin spice coffees warm. I love being able to carry around a warm drink on a cool fall day (and the cute pattern on the cups is a bonus!). Everything else you need you can grab at the orchard – bags of apples freshly picked from the trees, jugs of sweet apple cider, and some pretty pumpkins for good measure! Just spread out your blanket and dig in — there is truly no better way to spend a New England fall weekend than among the apples and the pumpkins – even if you don’t actually pick them yourself!

Please note: This post was created in partnership with the Chinet® brand. All opinions, images, and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site.