An Apple A Day

I just had apple pie for breakfast.  (No, Daniel, I didn't eat yours.)  This is the way I look at it.  My nephew Zachary used to call the crust the "bread of the pie," so it's kind of like toast, right?  and there are apples inside.  You know what they say.  "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  I just did myself a favor by eating that pie for breakfast!

We went apple picking on Sunday afternoon.  After church on Sunday morning a gang of us hopped in our cars and headed up to Oak Glen, nestled in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.  It is the height of apple season, so now is the perfect time.  If you live in southern California it's just over an hour from Orange County and 90 minutes from LA.

After a delicious lunch of ribs and pulled pork sandwiches at The Rib Cage, we got down to business.  This is what we came for - pie!  There are dozens of places to buy fresh-baked pies in Oak Glen but our friends, Mark and Patty, who were our tour guides for the day, swear by the pie at Law's. 

They have a cinnamon sauce to pour over their pies.  We have to agree, their pies are amazing.  We bought a pie, some cinnamon sauce and some ice cream and devoured a pie right then and there.  If you take a trip to Oak Glen be warned, the service at Law's is sloooow, but if you are not in a hurry, the pies are worth the wait.  If you are in a hurry, what are you doing strolling around Oak Glen?

After devouring our pie we knew that wasn't enough, so we had to buy a pie to take home.  Well, maybe we should buy two...

 or three...  Dang!  That pie was good.

After consuming mass quantities of food, we figured it was time to do some walking, so we headed down the road to Los Rios Rancho for apple picking.

First, we braved the corn maze and took a few wrong turns along the way, but eventually made it through to the other side. 

A word to the wise, remember kids,  no matter where you are, always watch out for strangers.

Some are stranger than others.

Finally, it was time to pick apples.  After all the preamble, apple picking was a bit anti-climactic.  The varieties that were available last weekend were a bit picked over and the ones that were loaded on the trees were not yet available to be picked, but we managed to fill a bag and get a photo-op, or two.

"Mom, are we posing for this lame picture for your blog?" 

Why would they say that?

Even though the u-pick apples were picked over, there was a great variety of delicious apples available at the stand.  We loaded up the car with our favorites and a few caramel apples for the kids.  I love Pippen, nice and tart, and discovered that Braeburns are just the right amount of sweet, plus they are crisp and juicy.  Sam and Rachel were greatly amused when they discovered that there is a real variety of apple called a Macintosh, and that it's not just a computer. (The only computer worth owning, their father says.)

If you are able, I would advise you to go to Oak Glen during the week when the crowds are lighter.  If you are interested in more than eating and buying apples, like we were, there are many other great things to see and do in Oak Glen.  The Old Schoolhouse is a fun place to visit and Riley's Farm has family activities year round.

Don't forget your apple a day - crispy juicy apples, or apple pie, apple crisp, caramel apples...