PLANTING AN ORCHARD... that boasts a hundred robust apple trees? Opening a counter that serves only pies, tarts, and those amazing pastries that feel like they're both pie and tart in equal measure? Filling a cozy shop with all sorts of quaint crafts and collectibles, the sort of items that instantly convey charm and cheer? You probably couldn't make such big visions work within the footprint of your own home, but you can go to a place, near Placerville, where orchard-awesome amazingness abounds. It's Apple Hill, one of California's core spots for fruit-oriented adventures. (Yes, we said "core" and we're not taking it back.)
IT'S AN AUTUMNAL WONDERLAND, a true tart treasure, and the growers of the verdant region have been delivering oodles of apple treats and experiences to families seeking fall fun for decades. If your road-tripping plans changed in 2020, and you didn't get to visit, or if you just haven't been by Apple Hill in awhile, there is a way to bring some of the flavorful winsomeness into your own apple-loving home: By buying the "Apple Hill 50th Anniversary Cookbook." It happens to be on sale for $15.95 as we reach the middle of November 2020, making it a tasty and, yes, a-peeling holiday gift for the apple aficionado in your world. A half-century of delicious dishes can be found inside, if the colder days to come are putting you in a baking mood.
THE GROWERS OF APPLE HILL... are welcoming visitors seeking to pick up cider or fruit with a number of safety guidelines (do stay informed on the latest California travel alerts). If you'd like to explore what you can order from home, in terms of products sold by the businesses found around the region, start here, and make a "core" connection with an area that has meant so much to so many Californians over the decades.