A Stop By "Apple Hill".

On the way home from Christian Women’s Retreat, we always stop by “Apple Hill,” near Camino, California, to visit the week-end crafting booths and buy apple pies and turn-overs, carmel apples, dough balls, apple cider, and a variety of apples and pears to take back home.
“Apple Hill” began with sixteen ranchers back in the fifties, with pears as their primary crop. Forty years ago there was a terrible pear blight that swept through the area, taking production from 52,000 tons in 1958 down to 8,435 tons in 1965! After visiting Oak Glen in southern California, the ranchers discovered a way to keep their farms and make the rich Camino soil productive again. In 1964 they formed the “Apple Hill” Growers’ Association. That year they produced 50,000 paper litter bags which they gave out at the California State Fair, offering two pounds of free apples to visitors who brought their bags to “Apple Hill” that season. Since then, the Apple Hill Growers’ Association has expanded from those original 16 to over 55 ranchers, including Christmas tree growers, vineyards, wineries, a micro brewery, and a spa.

One of our favorite ranches is Larsen’s Apple Barn, the oldest (circa 1860!) continuously owned and operated family farm in the area. The ranch features a dozen varieties of apples, pears, peaches and nectarines, along with apple cider, honey, and pumpkins. Clarice Larsen originated the first place to sample homemade desserts, baked goods, jams, jellies, and sauces. Other attractions to the Larsen farm are the three acres of lawn with picnic tables, a waterfall, waterwheel, the oldest living apple tree in El Dorado County, and the Larsen Pioneer Farm Museum which includes a log cabin, covered wagon, antique farm equipment, and doll houses. Most of the ranches are open daily from Labor Day until Christmas, except Larsen’s, which is closed on Saturdays. Hope you will have an opportunity to enjoy “Apple Hill!”