Apple Hill gets its name by the Apple Hill Growers Association, which includes 55 ranches located in the foothills east of Sacramento in El Dorado County, just past Placerville and in and around the community of Camino. All in all, a trip of just under 100 miles there and back. Click on the map above and it will open a “pdf” with a better map which includes the names and locations of the many businesses and growers which make up the Apple Hill group and community. And what do they have at Apple Hill you might wonder?
Why Fudge, and…
….Apple Pie of course!
Our first stop (and later out last stop) was to Abel’s Acres where we had lunch.
You order your lunch in the little red building, above left, then find tables to eat at, above right, and if they are real busy (can you say “don’t go on a weekend?”) then you can go to the table down below, where they also have a pumpkin patch, corn maze, and other kids activities.
And after lunch you can shop and shop and shop….this isle alone is made up of apple butter, more apple butter, even more apple butter, some various jams, and yes, more apple butter…..among other things. We looked, did not buy, until we came upon it again as we left the area because we wanted to keep the frozen pies frozen, the fresh pies fresh, and of course, we picked up a jar of Apple Butter.
One reason we came was to catch some of the fall colors…what we caught were a few fall colors, and some apples still on some of the trees.
A few tress had lots of color….
…others had some color….
….some will remain green all year round.
We even found some flowers growing in some locations….
…including these flowers (above) along side the roadway which included these wonderful roses…..
We drove and drove, and near the end we came to the next “must see” stop…..the Fudge Factory. And if you need a “because”, the “because” is this….
Chocolate Makes Life Bearable
And oh, do they have an assortment of chocolate, and fudge, and caramel apples, and jams, and ice cream, and…well….you get the picture.
And we did find more color….but we are a few weeks too early for the prime season.
Which leads us to another conclusion…..
….chances are this is not going to be the only fresh apple pie we get from Apple Hill this year!
Just got an email yesterday that my daughter with granddaughters and friends went to Apple Valley on Saturday. They live in El Dorado Hills and make at least one trip every October. I'm salivating just looking at the photos! And, see there, California does exhibit some Fall coloring!
ReplyDeleteI meant Apple Hill not Apple Valley!
ReplyDeleteWe decided to "not" go over the weekend and instead go on Monday since it would be slower. However, it was not a slow as we had hoped...the guy at Abel's Acres, when we went back to get the pies and Apple Butter, told me it was the busiest weekday they have had all season....go figure. Probably because Tuesday is going to be colder, and Wednesday it is going to storm...even snow around the 4,000 foot level (Apple Hill is around 3,500). But we had a great time. Oh, and that Apple Pie is, let's say, out of this world. :)
DeleteThat is a great trail to follow during apple season. Lots of very yummy stops:) Good that there were at least a few colors for your viewing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Indianapolis, one of my favorite autumn activities was going to the apple orchard. There's nothing quite like fresh apple cider, and just to roam and pick apples was really relaxing. What a fun outing!
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