Spend a Weekend upon Apple Hill


Disclosure: Post May Inlclude Affiliate Links.

 

This past weekend I took the trek up to Apple Hill, an area outside of Camino, CA that has a dozen or more Apple Orchards within a 12 mile radius. About a hour east of Sacramento.

For those that truly love FALL, this is the place to go to get your fill of Apple Cider, Apple Crisp, turnovers and much more including October when the Pumpkin Patches around the area begin to open up too.

A few highlights that truly stood out were:

1) Rainbow Orchards Apple Cider Donuts

Apple-Cider-Donuts

If there was one orchard I’d recommend stopping in first, it’d be Rainbow Orchards to get a dozen of their Apple Cider Donuts to start your day off right.  These are an Apple Hill delicacy and favorite for locals.  You can also purchase apple crisp, apple cider, and slices of pie in their bakeshop as you watch through the windows on how they make fresh apple cider.

2) Barn Animals at Apple Ridge Farms

One Apple Orchard that had a bit of everything going on was Apple Ridge Farms.  A place for BBQ, along with booths of vendors selling their goods along with their outdoor petting zoo area where you could hand feed the goats and a booth dedicated to face painting.

Baby-Goats3) Wine Tasting and More

Apple Hill has a variety of Wineries to stop in for a tasting or two.  I enjoyed trying Boa Vista’s Apple Wines at the Boa Vista Orchards stand along with a hard cider tasting at Jack Russell Farm Brewery.

Apple-Blackberry-Wine

A few recommended include:

Madrona Vineyards (right next to the Fudge Factory!)

Para Vi Vineyards

Jack Russell Farm Brewery (Beer, Wine and Hard Cider!)

Lava Cap Winery

Boeger Winery

Fenton Herriott Vineyards

4) Check out the Country Store at Grandpa’s Cellars

One of my favorite places for shopping was none other than Grandpa’s Cellars, and you may just happen to notice the for sale sign on the property this year.  Own a little piece of your own Apple Hill Property.

The Country Store had tons of Jams, Jellies, Syrups and mixes to try out including their famous Apple Cinnamon Syrup that is to die for (trust me!) The best part is knowing you can order from them directly right online at Grandpa’s Cellars.

5) Check out the Garden Attractions at Bill’s Apples/Felice’s Dolls

Garden-OrnamentsEnjoy walking through their shop as you look over Felice’s Dolls, and into the backyard where there’s everything for your backyard plus they have a lot of fun photo ops throughout the place to partake in.

In the end, when spending a day in Apple Hill, it’s about stopping with what catches your eye and to enjoy everything APPLE in the months ahead.  You’re guaranteed to have a GREAT time as you enjoy your apple treats throughout the day.

Apple Hill is VERY kid friendly with barn animals, train rides, hay rides, and much more happening throughout the various orchards in the area.  Plan your day ahead of time, and be forewarned, it gets VERY VERY busy come October.

Rhubarb-Apple-PieBut EVERY bite is truly worth it.  The Apple Rhubarb Pie from Bodhaine Ranch. Be sure to grab an Apple Hill guide at the various orchards around Apple Hill.  The guide is very helpful in keeping you on track and also maps which will be needed.

There is also an Apple Hill App for your phone that is compatible with both Iphone and Android Phones.

 

Shop Custom iPhone 6 Cases

 

 

 

 

Categories: Desserts, Northern California | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fall Recipe: Caramelized Pears


Over the weekend I trekked up to Apple Hill, which is a good 2 hour drive from Sonoma County, but once I arrived, it was worth it.  Being surrounded by wonderful fruit growers and apple orchards, I got a good start to my fall just a hour East of Sacramento.

During my visit I stopped into Boa Vista Orchards and picked up a basket of pears for just 3.99.  I had no idea what I’d create with them at the time, but I knew I wanted them.  Today, when I got home, I realized how fast they were ripening so I looked through my cupboard and soon came up with this fun recipe: Caramelized Pears

caramelized-pears

Ingredients Needed:

3 to 4 Pears

Cinnamon Sugar Spice

Cream Cheese/Goat Cheese/Brie, Ricotta (you choose your cheese!)

Caramel Sauce

Refrigerated Pie Crust

Pears

Directions:

Cut pears in half and carve out a small hole in the center.  Place on cookie sheet and cover the outside of the pears with refrigerated pie crust.  Cook in oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  The pie crust will softly cover the pears and moistly wrap around the pears.

Out of the oven, turn the pears over and place your chosen cheese (I did Cream Cheese) into your carved holes.  Sprinkle with Cinnamon Sugar and your Caramel Sauce.

For the Caramel Sauce, I picked up a bottle of Apple Cinnamon Sauce from Grandpa’s Cellars upon Apple Hill.  Seriously, an amazing sauce that went well with the caramelized pears. You can order from them directly.

 

 

Categories: Cooking, Desserts | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Try out Baskin Robbins New Fall Flavors!


Disclosure: Post may include Affiliate Links.

Every September I get excited because FALL begins to seep into the air.  Amongst the wine harvests, amongst the apple pickings, and all things pumpkin, some of my favorite flavors come to the forefront.

And some of my favorite businesses decide to get into the action too.  I recently tried out some of Baskin Robbins new fall flavors.  My favorite amongst the group?  Pumpkin Cheesecake which offers a twist on two classic fall flavors and features pumpkin and cheesecake-flavored ice cream, ginger snap cookie pieces and a cinnamon cream cheese ribbon.

 

Pumpkin-Cheesecake

Some of the other fall flavors include:

  • German Chocolate Cake: Swiss chocolate ice cream with coconut, walnut pieces, fudge brownie pieces and caramel ribbon.
  • Peanut Butter ‘N Jelly – Peanut-butter-flavored ice cream with grape jelly and peanut butter ribbons.
  • Quarterback Crunch: Vanilla-flavored ice cream with rice crunchies in a chocolate-flavored coating, and a caramel ribbon.
  • S’More the Merrier – Marshmallow and graham cracker flavored ice cream that features milk chocolate chips and a crunchy graham cracker ribbon.

And of course since I was able to try out one of the awesome new flavors I thought that you just might want to too.

Be sure to Enter for your Chance to Win a 10 Dollar Gift Card below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

No purchase necessary, void where prohibited.  Must be 18 years or older and reside in the US.  Winner will be notified via email.  Giveaway ends on 9/25 at 12am EST.  All other rules can be found here.

Shop Custom iPhone 6 Cases

Categories: Food Products, Fun Stuff, Giveaways | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 85 Comments