Cuyama Orchards is a family run apple farm that’s full of beauty and 300 acres of apples!
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.
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.
Byron, 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.
With this information in mind, I jogged after some moving bins to grab a Fuji. Delicious!
I loved seeing the field workers smile as they picked the apples (by hand.)
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.
The 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.
While they’re pretty perfect out of hand, I’m really looking forward to cooking with these apples.
Aren’t they just spectacular!?
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.
To learn a lot more great information about this organic apple farm, check out Dorothy’s post at Shockingly Delicious.
Recipes with Crimson Golds:
I hope you enjoyed my tour through Cuyama Orchards.
Kaye Kittrell says
Fabulous! Thanks for sharing! Wish we could visit. – Kaye
Linda K. Smith says
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.
valentina says
Thank you, Linda! You will love these Crimson Gold apples! They are darling and tasty! 🙂
Ilke says
Looks like a wonderful trip. Very nice pictures…When I see hardworking farms, I feel so much better about the produce I buy.
valentina says
Ilke, I totally agree. It feels so good to buy produce from farms like this one — hard working, nice people through and through. 🙂
Vicky says
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
valentina says
Vicky, thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂
Geez Louise! says
great post, so nice to be with you… video coming soon
Linda says
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.
valentina says
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!
Mike says
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
valentina says
Fantastic! Love this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Tina says
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
valentina says
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. 🙂