Oak Glen Orchards
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As a Missouri transplant, I’ve been confronted by one question many, many times since moving to always-sunny-and-mild Los Angeles more than six years ago: “Don’t you miss the season changes?” For the most, I don’t. While there is a certain charm to seasonal shifts in the Midwest, the end result is usually unpleasant: Summers are too hot, winters are too cold, and the few lovely spring and autumn days in between just aren’t worth the subsequent extremes.
But, if pressed, I’ll always admit one longing — and that is for those few crisp autumn days when the leaves in Missouri are at their full radiance, right before they shrivel and drop to the cooling ground. Those days in Missouri were all about pumpkin patches, hayrides, apple cider, hearty soups, and fresh-baked breads and pastries. And I’ve never found anything in Southern California that can quite match that experience. Until now, that is.
Can someone please tell me how I lived in California for half a dozen years now without ever finding out about autumn in Oak Glen, Calif.?
Oak Glen, which lies about 90 miles east of West Los Angeles, is a quaint community of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, specialty shops, restaurants and bakeries, all nestled into picturesque hillsides. I visited the weekend before Halloween, when harvest was in full swing, and I was absolutely blown away by the gorgeous scenery and warm hospitality of the local business owners — not to mention the spectacular autumn comfort foods.
Below are a few highlights of my recent visit, though I hardly had the time (or stomach capacity) to sample all that the Oak Glen businesses had to offer. But rest assured, I’ll be going back often in coming years. It’s safe to say that Oak Glen has forever changed the way I think about autumn in Southern California.
Mom’s Country Orchard: Pesticide-free apples, pressed cider, jams and fruit butters, and fresh baked breads. I brought home a pumpkin butter from here that is out of this world.
Snow-Line Orchard: An original 1898 apple shed, multiple flavors of cider, U-Pick raspberries, and mini apple cider doughnuts. I took home some apples and cider. I didn’t try the apple cider doughnuts, but the line around the buildings for them suggested I probably should have.
Oak Tree Village: 14 acres of shops, food and entertainment, including an animal park and train and pony rides.
Personally, I could have watched the candy makers at Oak Tree Village work all day long.
U-pick pumpkin patches
U-press cider
More photos in the gallery below. Such a glorious autumn day trip.
