Apple Hill in October...
Last weekend we visited Apple Hill in El Dorado County, CA to spend a day in the orchards where countless varieties of apples are grown. Apple Hill is a popular fall destination for travelers wanting to experience California's autumn beauty, as the region has over 50 apple ranches in addition to bake shops, wineries, and pumpkin patches. It is a quaint and rustic area in the western Sierra Nevada mountains and the winding wooded roads are lovely for an afternoon drive through apple orchards and vineyards.
While touring a few of the ranches, I was able to capture images of apples on the trees. Some orchards were filled with fruit while others had already been harvested and still others were not yet ripe. One of my favorite stops was Bill's Apples and Felice's Dolls. This ranch has a beautiful park-like setting with thousands of marigolds and mums planted throughout the property.
The gnarled branches of the apple trees there created such interesting patterns from beneath the canopy of leaves...
The large size and fresh healthy skin of the orchard apples was striking in comparison to the smaller grocery-store-glossy apples I usually see at the market.
At the High Hill Ranch there were so many mouth-watering pies, caramel apples, and fritters in the bakery it was hard to choose. We tried some delicious apple donuts and freshly pressed apple cider. Of course, we also came home with many different kinds of apples. I bought large quantities to make French Apple Tarts for the weekend, which means Friday will be a busy day in the kitchen...
