南加州的蘋果之鄉就在 Oak Glen，這裡有好多蘋果農莊，而秋天是摘蘋果和郊遊的最佳季節，就讓我們跟著小記者 Shawn 的腳步，踏上他的金秋蘋果之鄉的旅程吧 . . .

【附註】四家超好玩的蘋果農莊資料就在文章尾段，大家不要錯過喔！

Apple Picking at Oak Glen

by Shawn Lo (age 12)

Fall is the perfect time to pick apples. But in sunny southern California full of palm trees and beaches, it is hard to imagine apple orchards do exit. Well, they do. Just 90 miles east of L.A, nestles a beautify town called Oak Glen. Its high altitude provides the perfect climate for apple growing.

This past weekend, my family took my brother and I to Oak Glen to pick apples. For a city boy like myself, I feel like I have come to a new world. The main road in Oak Glen is called South Oak Glen road. Along this road you will find many different apple farms and apple related stores. During our trip to Oak Glen, we visited a total 4 apple farms and they each have its own unique feel.

The first apple orchard we stayed is called Riley’s Farm. I was told this is most well known one. If you have limited time, this is the one to visit. Coming here makes me feel like I was traveling back in time to the colonial period. Besides apple picking, we also picked pears, berries, pumpkins, and flowers. Tire of picking? No problem. There are also other fun activities for children like dipping candles, churning butter, throwing tomahawks, and playing games that colonial children used to play.

Driving out of Riley Farm, our second stop was Los Rios Rancho. If your family like hustle and bustle and activities of a country fair, this place is right for you! We stopped by here for picnic and wondered in a corn maze. In addition to apples, this place is also well known for its BBQ and bakery.

After a fulfilling lunch at Los Rios Rancho, we went for a 1.5 hr hike to stretch our legs and burns some calories. The name of the trail is called Wildlands Conservancy’s Oak Glen Preserve. It is located within walking distance, just right next to Los Rios Rancho. This 2189-acres preserve has several beautiful trails, a botanic garden, a discovery center, and beautiful scenery of apple orchards, hills, trees, and wildflowers.

Our third stop gave us a taste of a small farm experience. This place is called Willowbrook Apple Farm. I like this place the best because we did our apple cider pressing there. To make the apple cider, we had to pick our own apples and washing them for cider pressing. Boy, what a work that was! When I drank my first cup of apple cider, I drank it with a lot of gratitude. We were there for almost 1.5 hours before we finished the whole apple pressing process.

On our way home, we made our last stop to Snow-Line. This is really the place for people to stock up all their apple related products like apple pies, apple turnovers, apple butter and lots of more. Do not leave this place without buying their mini-apple donuts. Snow-Line is very well known for that!

What I loved about my trip to Oak Glen is the experience of apple picking and sampling many apple products. The apple picking experience was not only fun, it also gave me a chance to bond with my family. All the apple products sold in Oat Glen tasted so much better than the ones we had in LA. The cider pressing activity made me feel that I have just traveled back in time. From this activity, I really learned that hard work and love produce best of everything.

Apple picking season officially begins on Labor Day and ends on Thanksgiving. During this period, be sure to drive up to Oak Glen for an amazing family bonding time. From now on, coming to Oak Glen during fall will become my family’s tradition.