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    Home » Assorted Other Goodies » Cuyama Orchards and Organic Apples

    Cuyama Orchards and Organic Apples

    Oct 22, 2012 · by Valentina · 14 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Cuyama Orchards is a family run apple farm that's full of beauty and 300 acres of apples!A tree full of pink apples at Cuyama Orchards

    Having grown up in California, I've been able to visit some wonderful, picturesque places.

    From the Sequoia National Forest to the Santa Monica Mountains to the Channel Islands, California is full of beauty.

    A large cluster of red apples on a branch and a road at Cuyama Orchards

    And now I can add another gem to the list -- Cuyama Orchards.

    This breathtaking organic apple farm is on the eastern side of the California coastal range, about 60 miles north of Santa Barbara in the Cuyama Valley.

    Cuyama Orchards

    Owned by the Albano family for just over 30 years, this farm is not open to the public, so I'm very grateful to Melissa's Produce for taking me there, along with a few of my favorite food bloggers.

    The Albanos grow 10 varieties of apples in their 300-acre orchard: Gala, Sweeties, Honeycrisp, Early Fuji, Granny Smith, Crimson Gold, Standard Fuji, Pink Ladies, Arkansas Blacks and Pippins.

    The owners of Cuyama OrchardsByron, Jean and Howard Albano

    Jean Albano maintains that either the Honeycrisp or Fuji is her favorite variety, while both Byron and Howard are partial to the Crimson Gold.

    A truck with loads of apples being driven at Cuyama OrchardsWith this information in mind, I jogged after some moving bins to grab a Fuji. Delicious!

    Apple tree and apple crates at Cuyama OrchardsI loved seeing the field workers smile as they picked the apples (by hand.)

    Farm worker picking Crimson Gold apples at Cuyama Orchards

    This worker at Cuyama Orchards is surrounded by Crimson Gold apples.

    These might have been my favorite trees on the farm -- the Crimson Golds are very small and cluster together like grapes.

    Small green tractor and cluster of apples on branch at Cuyama Orchards

    Work on the Orchard

    There's so much happening in this beautiful place -- field workers are climbing on ladders, they're picking apples (of course!), they're driving bins filled with 900 pounds of fruit each, they're cleaning, packing, the list goes on and on.

    Yet, it's still incredibly peaceful and serene.

    Tractors, apple trees, and Valentina at Cuyama Orchards

    While they're pretty perfect out of hand, I'm really looking forward to cooking with these Cuyama apples.

    From the people to the apple trees to the surrounding mountains -- this was a beautiful day.

    I'm so happy I had the opportunity to visit Cuyama Orchards with Melissa's Produce.

    Large bag of freshly picked yellow and red Crimson Gold Apples at Cuyama Orchards

    To learn a lot more great information about this organic apple farm, check out Dorothy's post at Shockingly Delicious.

    Red Wine Poached Crimson Gold Apples is and amazing dessert recipe made with these special apples. Try it!

    I hope you enjoyed my tour through the orchards.

    Save

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kaye Kittrell

      October 22, 2012 at 10:17 pm

      Fabulous! Thanks for sharing! Wish we could visit. - Kaye

      Reply
    2. Linda K. Smith

      October 23, 2012 at 2:47 am

      I love hearing about these apples and the Albano family and the Guyama Orchards and seeing the people working there and you surrounded by all of it, Valentina. So I'll spend the next few weeks checking out all the apples in the stores and probably using them in some new recipes. The little clustering Crimson Gold apples are certainly fabulous--even
      more so than the Pink Pearls you mentioned last week.

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 23, 2012 at 4:45 am

        Thank you, Linda! You will love these Crimson Gold apples! They are darling and tasty! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Ilke

      October 24, 2012 at 11:30 am

      Looks like a wonderful trip. Very nice pictures...When I see hardworking farms, I feel so much better about the produce I buy.

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 26, 2012 at 3:20 am

        Ilke, I totally agree. It feels so good to buy produce from farms like this one -- hard working, nice people through and through. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Vicky

      October 24, 2012 at 3:28 pm

      It is so Great to have the opportunity to visit a family owned organic farm. What a great experience to share with your blogger friends

      Reply
      • valentina

        October 26, 2012 at 3:21 am

        Vicky, thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Geez Louise!

      October 25, 2012 at 3:48 pm

      great post, so nice to be with you... video coming soon

      Reply
    6. Linda

      July 03, 2017 at 10:23 am

      I just bought a bag of the Pink Ladies at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and was disappointed because when I opened the bag there was a heavy wax smell and the apples were sticky with the smelly wax smell. I buy organic so I don't have to cut the skin off in order to eat an apple. Other organic apples I have purchased had to wax on them. How can it be considered organic if something as unnatural as wax is on the apples.... I pay extra to get a pure product.

      Reply
      • valentina

        August 25, 2017 at 3:48 pm

        Hi Linda, I sent this information to you in an email as well, but I'm posting it here with your original comment to share it with all of my readers.
        Here's what I've learned . . . .
        The waxy substance is found on both conventional and organic apples -- so if you buy an organic apple and it's there, it's still organic. In all cases it's edible, tasteless, completely safe, and approved by the USDA/FDA.
        Its purpose is to polish the fruit so it's shiny and not cloudy or dull. It also protects skin for longer storage. Apparently this has been standard practice for the last 40+ years.
        My guess is there was a particularly heavy coat on the apples you purchased -- I imagine in some it's a heavier coat than others, and that depending on the vendor, some wipe it off and some don't.
        Hope this helps!

        Reply
    7. Mike

      September 03, 2017 at 4:33 pm

      I know Byron from LA Canada our kids played baseball together some years back my son Ryan and his son Greg! Byron would bring honey crisp apples to practice every so often they were the best and I mean that the best I had ever tasted! Thanks Byron......Mike Lynch

      Reply
      • valentina

        September 04, 2017 at 9:54 am

        Fantastic! Love this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Tina

      December 20, 2018 at 5:47 pm

      How can I find places near me that sell the mini apples ? I tried them at a friend's and fell in love with their sweet tart taste and the tiny size

      Reply
      • valentina

        December 20, 2018 at 6:14 pm

        Hi Tina, The tiny apples are called Crimson Golds and they should carry them at Bristol Farms, Whole Foods & Gelson's. Are any of those stores near you? If not, I will ask my contact at Melissa's Produce for more information. Let me know and thank you for checking out my article. 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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