A Labor Day weekend tradition: Apple Hill opens 2024 season

As Labor Day weekend rolls it means that just a few miles up the road a special place officially opens for another bustling season filled with tasty treats and family fun, all surrounded by long tradition. We’re talking about none other than harvest season in nearby Apple Hill a community of approximately 50 ranches that draws more than a million visitors to the region each year.

While the area draws its share of locals from September to December, Apple Hill draws travelers from far reaches of California and even the Pacific Northwest. It’s this large attraction that benefits the surrounding communities in El Dorado County, and even boosts the tourism into places like Folsom and El Dorado Hills this time of year.

The Highway 50 corridor is the common route to Apple Hill. With its large draw from the Central Valley as well as the Bay Area, Folsom provides an ideal stopping place, either on their way up the hill or on their way down to enjoy Folsom’s many dining options, shopping venues and lodging.

The Apple Hill area is known for its rural ambiance and tasty products that extend well beyond that of just apples. This consists of numerous ranches, which are the largest concentration of apple growers in California, featuring 16 different varieties of apples and various other fruits.

It’s not all just fruit when you visit, it’s bake shops packed with tasty homemade pies, caramel apples, dumplings and more. The area is home to nearly two dozen wineries as well. Altogether the members of the Growers Association are responsible for more than 50 different special events during the season.

Many of the ranches in the Apple Hill area are operated by multiple generations of families who were amidst some of the pioneers of the area. It seems like every ranch you visit has a family name attached to it, whether it is Visman, Delfino, Abel and others.

Traveling up Carson Road, Abel’s Acres is one of the first roadside ranches many stumble upon. The ranch has been in operation since 1976 and continues to operate thanks to four generations of Abels doing their part throughout the year and during the busy season as the area becomes populated with day trippers.

Throughout the years, Evelyn Abel has baked her share of delicious apple pies, well into the thousands; from the traditional style to the famed Dutch apple and even a pie that’s a mix of apple and pumpkin all in one. It’s just one of the many sweet delights you’ll find at the ranch and most of the others.

From apple donuts to caramel apples, fritters, turnovers, dumplings, homemade fudge and more, if sweet fruity desserts are your desire, this place is your dream destination this time of year. The area boasts many farms that have been family owned and operated through the generations. 

Just like the Abel family, names like Delfino, Visman and more are well known for keeping a long tradition thriving on “the hill. This year, ranches that are under the Visman family name will start off their season remembering one of their patriarch’s Jerry Visman, who passed away suddenly last year.

Visman was the face many recognized on local TV and media spots that would visit the famed High Hill Ranch as each season began as he would share what’s new and what’s returing to the place his family has been such a big part of through the years.  High Hill Ranch opened their doors a few weeks in August, as they traditionaly open up before others. In doing so, they let it be known this season is dedicated to Jerry and the impact he had on the area.

While the edible attractions are by far the main draw to apple hill, so is the scenery as well as the many activities for families and youngsters at the different places. From the maze at Abel’s Acres to the fishing pond at High Hill, the train at El Dorado Orchards and the classic water wheels in the stream at Larson’s Apple Orchards and so much more, there is plenty to bring wide eyes and big smiles to the youngsters as they enjoy some good old fashioned country style fun. The area is known for a number of great wines and wineries along the trail as well. In a nutshell, Apple Hill offers something for just about every member of the family and for all ages. 

In addition to the great eats and the ingredients to make your own special treats, the Apple Hill Farms have many great products beyond the apple alone. The association has its very own cookbook that can be purchased at various locations.

Many of the farms host craft vendors and special events for the whole family to enjoy. From Johnny Appleseed Day celebrations to fishing, pony rides, hay rides and amazing mazes, no youngster or young at heart will find themselves board in this form of nature’s playground.

So how does one plan a trip to the Apple Hill Farms?

To each their own as everyone has their own desires and styles. One of the most traditional ways to tour the area is through the official Apple Hill map that details all of the member farms in the area you can find by clicking here.

If you are on the go, the official Apple Hill Growers App can be downloaded to your mobile device and the official website is a key resource to all of the special events that take place throughout the seasons ahead at www.applehill.com.

Apple Hill as rich in history as it his tradition and flavor

The Apple Hill Growers has grown from 16 original farms to over 50 farms, including Christmas tree growers and wineries, vineyards and a Bed & Breakfast Inn. While it has grown it size, it remains rich in local history.  Here’s a look back on how it all started courtesy of those at the Apple Hill Grower’s Association.

The year was 1951 and Floyd Bolster decided to retire in a community called Camino. He bought a farm that had 10 acres of producing apple trees and dreamed of working his land and reaping the rewards of the life of a farmer.

Six years later, Floyd Bolster died, and his son Gene left his job in Southern California to come to the farm and complete his father’s dream.

In 1964, Gene Bolster, local grower; Dick Bethell, El Dorado County’s pomology specialist and farm advisor; Edio Delfino, El Dorado County’s agricultural commissioner; and Bob Tuck, a retired army officer, all united to form the Apple Hill Growers. It has been over 50 years and Apple Hill continues to attract people from all over the world.

“There were about 16 farms back then,” said Bolster. “We usually gathered at Bob Tuck’s house at the end of the day and talked about how hard farming was,” recalled Bolster.

“We had an awful pear blight about 36 years ago and we had to do something to survive. Our major crop was pears.”

To this day, a few of the old pear orchards are still around. “An orchard can produce for 50 years if it is taken care of,” said Bolster. The pear blight took production from 52,000 tons in 1958 to 8,435 in 1965. A few of the farms had some apples planted, but pears had been the primary crop. It was time for a change.

Bolster and Delfino set out to discover a way to help the growers keep their farms and make the rich soil of Camino productive again. In 1962 Bolster and Delfino visited Oak Glen in Southern California.

“They had a successful marketing program, so we got a copy of their bylaws and improved on them,” Delfino said.

Armed with this information, they returned to Camino, gathered the local farmers together and formed the growers association called Apple Hill.

“We faced competition from Washington State apples,” Bethell said, “but the growers in Camino had to do something.”

Bolster stated that the apples on the hill may not have that long shape, like the Washington apple. “They have longer days than we do. We have an ideal growing season, with a long chilling season. In other words, the trees stay dormant longer. So while a Washington apple may look great, our apples have better flavor.”

The name “Apple Hill” was created by Bob Tuck. “It was amazing how much we accomplished in such a short time,” Bolster said. “We started in mid-June of 1964 and had everything ready for the first press picnic in August.”

During the press picnic, each Apple Hill family hosted individual members of the press for a meal at their home and many of them became close friends. The growers also produced 50,000 paper litter bags that they passed out at the State Fair that year, offering two pounds of free apples to visitors who brought the litter bag to Apple Hill with them.

Bolster ‘s still has a few of those bags and if you compare the map that decorated the front of the original Apple Hill literature to the map of ranchers that exists today, you can see that the original association has blossomed into a very successful ranch marketing endeavor.

Another suggestion from Clarice Larson was to show visitors what could be done with apples in cooking. She originated the first place to sample some of the homemade desserts, baked goods, jams, jellies and sauces. In some of the farms’ Web pages you will find a sample of the growers’ favorite recipes.

“It’s never easy to get farmers to agree on anything,” Bolster observed, “but they did agree on forming the growers association. Everyone worked together and Apple Hill rose like a phoenix from the ashes of disaster.”

At Larsen’s Ranch, you will find the Rhode Island Greening which is believed to be the oldest apple tree in El Dorado County. At Hilltop Ranch, the Bolsters have collected a number of antique varieties, making available some of the apples of your childhood.

So much of the history of Apple Hill has been preserved. The community has gone to tremendous effort to protect their history and offer the public an opportunity to step back in time, if only for a day. Visitors will find their day filled with old-fashioned fun. Plan a picnic on the lush land that surrounds these exciting farms. Their doors are opened and the growers have gone the extra mile to ensure your family a day that they will remember.