This year was the first time I took my son (and myself & hubby) apple picking! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it was so much fun to share it with my family. After doing a little research, we chose a quaint little farm about an hour away in Sebastopol. Gabriel Farm is the definition of a traditional family farm. The Gabriel family lives, works, and raises their family on the farm. I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy, one of the farm owners. I had contacted her over email about their U-pick program and then was happily greeted by her when we arrived.
The farm is about 14 acres, perfectly nestled on Sullivan street. You drive in through a narrow path and as you come out the other side, you are enchanted by their sweet farm house store and rows of trees. They grow several apple varieties, asian pear varieties, berries, and fuyu persimmons. They also have a pumpkin patch. For their U-pick program, they request that you be a farm member which means paying an annual fee. But with the fee, you receive 3 gallons of their homemade apple-asian pear juice and 2 jars of their homemade jam (we chose blackberry rose). Such a great deal! And it helps ensure their little farm is supported which I’m a big fan of.
After handing us a container, they said we were free to pick (and eat as we went). In season were the golden delicious variety and they were super sweet. We learned the best way to pick was to grab an apple, and lift it up (turning it upside down). If ready, it would easily come off the tree. We probably picked way more than we needed, but we had such a great time and that just means more pie! So excited to go back for persimmons and pumpkins!
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