Friday, October 31, 2008

As Seen on TV

We're famous! Or at least we will be after Monday morning! KCOY has done a special on our field trip program and Carl from the station interviewed us and enjoyed the field trip as much as the kids from Bellvue-Santa Fe Charter School. Set your TiVo or catch the special live on Monday morning between 7 and 9 am on KCOY. And then call us to schedule your own group field trip. You don't have to be in grade school to enjoy the Ranch, sample apples and cider, and learn all about bees and their important role in making our wonderful apples.

Where Did October Go?

Is it just us or has October flown by!? We are heading into November and our last few weeks of apple season here at See Canyon Fruit Ranch. Come on out for cider, apples, pumpkins, and honey, or just to say hi!

We currently have the following apples well stocked for your eating and baking needs:

  • Granny Smith
  • Missouri Pippin
  • Braeburn
  • Golden Delicious (just a few left)
  • Fuji
  • Splendor

We have field trips and other visitors scheduled to enjoy the Ranch in the coming weeks, not to mention gleaning opportunities still available. The colors are really starting to change, too, so come on out to See Canyon where you can enjoy a little pocket of Fall colors in San Luis Obispo County.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Apple Bread and Cake Recipes

As requested by one of our loyal customers, here are two recipes we are loving this week! These both freeze well so if you have left-overs or want to bake for something in advance, these recipes will work.

Apple Streusel Tea Loaf

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar (plus 2 tbsp for the topping)
1/2 cup butter
2 cups chopped, peeled apples (Missouri Pippin or Braeburn would taste great)
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup sugar. Cut in the butter until course crumbs form. Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture. Stir the apples and lemon zest into the remaining flour-butter mixture.

In a small bowl, mix the milk and egg until well-blended. Add to the apple mixture and stir just until moistened. Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stire the reserved flour-butter mixture, cinnamon, and the remaining 2 tbsp sugar together. Sprinkle over batter. PRess down lightly. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 1 loaf.

Autumn Apple Coffee Cake

1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup melted shortening (we like to use butter!)
2 peeled, sliced apples (Braeburn would be awesome for this!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp butter

Beat egg and 1/3 cup sugar together until creamy. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add alternately with milk to egg mixture. Stir in oatmeal and melted shortening (or butter). Spread half the batter in a greased 9" round baking pan. Arrange apple slices over batter. Spread remaining batter over apple slices.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Bake in 375 oven 30 minutes or until done. Makes 8 servings.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Recipe Requests

There are quite a few of us here at See Canyon Fruit Ranch that love to cook, especially when we get to use our own fruits and vegetables in our menus. We've posted a few here in the past but if you're interested in a specific recipe or way to use a particular fruit or vegi, leave a comment or e-mail us and we'll do our best to post some of our favorites.

Thanks for reading our blog and especially for supporting the Ranch!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Variety is the Spice of Life

And do we have variety! Our cold storage is chock full of apples just picked this week in one final last harvesting hurrah before the frosts come.
  • Red Gold (last of the season)
  • Splendor
  • Fuji
  • Braeburn
  • Winesap
  • Missouri Pippin
  • Arkansas Black
  • Bellflower
  • Pippin
Don't forget to take home some of our incomparable Warren pears, tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini, and much more. Now that October is half gone, holiday baking is right around the corner. Stock up on your baking apples for those sauces, pies, cobblers, and mulled ciders.

This weekend is our last wedding of the season but if you're planning a wedding for next year (or 2010), be sure to e-mail us for availability and for our brochure.

Monday, October 13, 2008

And Then There Were Four...

...varieties of apples, that is! After the weekend crowds, we are left with Pippin, Braeburn, Jonalicious, and Golden Delicious. Never fear, Fuji are due in sometime Tuesday so all you Fuji fans come on out! We'll be back up to five apples varieties from which you can choose. Baking, eating, drying, decorating: they're great for all your apple needs.

We had a great weekend here at the Ranch and if you were one of the faces we saw during our super busy two days, thanks for coming! We are ready for a nap but apple season is in full swing so we'll let the kittens nap for us...at least for now. Thanks to Sandy B. for getting such a cute picture of Felix, Jemima, and Rusty taking their afternoon snooze.

Stay tuned for more news about our featured artists later this week. We are excited to show their art at the stand and you can buy some of their beautiful work. In the meantime, come buy a pumpkin, some cider, butternut squash, and anything else you need to celebrate all things Fall. We'll be happy to serve you!

P.S. We still have some fabulous Warren Pears and a fresh batch of Beefsteak tomatos!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Pumpkins + Apples + Cider = FALL

After an exciting week, we are looking forward to a full weekend here at the See Canyon Fruit Ranch! If you saw the news coverage this week about our gleaning opportunities, thank you for your support! Come and stroll through the orchard and gather apples from the ground for $6. If you need a box, add a $1 to your total and take home your own box with apples. With the wonderful fall weather this weekend, you can make memories with your family to last a lifetime.

We have 8 varieties of apples waiting for you to sample and take home. For you Fuji fans, we should have those in a few weeks (yay!!).
  • Jonadel
  • Red Delicious
  • Golden Delicious (mmm, applesauce!)
  • Jonalicious
  • Jonagold
  • Spitzenburg (these were Thomas Jefferson's favorite!)
  • Braeburn
  • Pippin (apple pie anyone?)
Our pumpkins have arrived and are priced for you to take home right away.

  • $15 for large pumpkins
  • $9 for medium pumpkins
  • $7 for small pumpkins

We are very excited about our new, exclusive partnership with California Bee Company to bring you local honey! Great for baking, sweetening tea, or enjoying on toast. Did you know local honey is helpful in fighting allergies and boosting the immune system? Get a head start on warding off those winter colds by taking some of our honey home to your loved ones. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the California Bee Company so stay tuned for the latest buzz!

And last but never least, be sure to sample our cider when you bring your family to buy apples. We're sure you'll want to take home our convenient pint, quart, half gallon, or gallon containers of apple cider.

So, TGIF and see you this weekend at the Ranch!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

All Good Things...

...Must come to an end and our sale on the Cheiftans is over. We've got more varieties in our barns ready and waiting for you to take home so come on out to the Ranch for your apples!

Pumpkins coming soon for your Fall decorating activities so check back here often so you can get the first pick of our big orange beauties.

Doing lunch with your friends? Consider bringing a picnic lunch and enjoying our gardens between the hours of 11 and 1 pm. Feel free to park, stroll the grounds, eat your lunch (don't forget to pick up your trash!), and relax with family and friends. Save room for an apple or a chilled pint of cider for dessert fresh from our barn.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Happy October!

We are a full month into our apple season at the Ranch and loving seeing old and new faces every day at the stand. Just the other day a group that calls themselves the 'Monday Mom's' met at the Ranch to get apples, chat, and walk around the grounds. They've been bringing their kiddos to the See Canyon Fruit Ranch since birth and you could tell the kids were loving sharing this annual memory with their friends (and the moms, too!).

And that is what we're all about! Memories, learning, meeting people, and of course, apples!

Speaking of apples...we've got some great deals going on this week like a 20 lb box of Chieftan apples for $13.00 and if you're a fan of Red Delicious, come on out and pick up a box of these crowd favorites! We still have Warren Pears in stock and Beefsteak Tomatoes to make your mouth water just looking at them! Only 55 cents per HUGE tomato (smaller ones are 2 for $.55).

More apple varieties and of course pumpkins (yay for fall!) coming very soon! Be sure to pick up some of our amazing cider while you're here, too. So tasty!

We look forward to seeing you sometime soon at the See Canyon Fruit Ranch...and bring your friends!