Apple butter festival draws hundreds to Gizdich Ranch
The smell of apples follows one everywhere at Gizdich Ranch in
the fall. The country store smells of sweet Golden and Red
Delicious apples, the tartness of Gravenstein. Across the way in
the bakery, a whiff of berries and Newton Pippin apples mixed with
pastry dough fills the air. Even the press room smells of fruity
juice in the afternoon as a crew cleans up the remnants left over
after the Saturday morning apple press.
Apple butter festival draws hundreds to Gizdich Ranch
The smell of apples follows one everywhere at Gizdich Ranch in the fall. The country store smells of sweet Golden and Red Delicious apples, the tartness of Gravenstein. Across the way in the bakery, a whiff of berries and Newton Pippin apples mixed with pastry dough fills the air. Even the press room smells of fruity juice in the afternoon as a crew cleans up the remnants left over after the Saturday morning apple press.
Gizdich Ranch is a working farm that for years has drawn the public into its Watsonville operation with its exceptional fruit, its pie by the slice – even a la mode, if you ask – and its “pik-yor-sef” for berries in the summer and apples in September.
Though the ranch is open daily, Oct. 21 offered a special treat for visitors with the Apple Butter Festival. One family makes the trek every year from Modesto for the annual festival held on the third Saturday in September.
“My parents started making apple butter 30 years ago,” said Brenda Brubaker, who worked a shift selling hand-cooked and canned apple butter during the festival. “It’s kind of an old-fashioned thing, but we started doing it for friends and family.”
Brubaker’s brother, Dan Bowman, stirred a copper kettle filled with 400 lbs. of Golden Delicious apples.
“The whole process takes 12 hours,” Bowman said, stirring with a wooden handle the whole time. “We keep it at a low boil, more of a simmer at this point.”
The rich, brown liquid still had a few hours of cooking to go at midday before the afternoon canning demonstration. As the apples cooked down to a smooth consistency, spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg would be added.
Gizdich Ranch is one of several places the family stops to make apple butter every year.
“Coming here is nice,” Bowman said. “We see some of the same people every year.”
While the Apple Butter Festival and the “pik-yor-sef” season are past, visitors can still find plenty to do at Gizdich Ranch. The bakery is always packed and smells of fresh baked pastries all day. The ranch offers nearly 20 pies to chose from with a variety of apple and berry pies as their specialty. Many visitors order a whole pie to go and share a slice or two at the picnic benches set up in the bakery.
During November and December, guests can tour the orchards on a hayride or take a self-guided walking tour under the green treetops. The barn store is open with a variety of apples from well-known Red and Golden Delicious to more exotic varieties. Guests can pick up apples such as the light green Mutsu that originated in Japan and is crisp. The deep-purple Winesap variety has the color of grapes and has a wine-like flavor. A guide to apple types explains that some of the apples are best for baking, some for cooking and others as a snack. Whether buying in bulk or just picking up a few apples as a treat, visitors are sure to keep the doctor away.
Gizdich Ranch, 55 Peckham Rd., Watsonville, CA. Phone: 722-1056, www.gizdich-ranch.com. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for select holidays.
Apple Slaw
3 c. cored, thinly sliced apples, peels left on
1 c. shredded red cabbage
1 c. shredded green cabbage
½ c. seedless green or red grapes, halved
1/3 c. chopped celery
¼ c. silvered almonds, toasted
½ c. apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Prepare apple cider vinaigrette, cover and chill. In a large salad bowl, gently combine apples, cabbage, grapes and celery. Add vinaigrette and toss salad well. Chill for one hour. Before serving, toss salad with silvered almonds.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Combine ¼ c. apple cider vinegar, 3 Tbsp. oil, 2 Tbsp. honey. Cover and shake well.
Apple Butter
5 lbs. Newton Pippin or Golden Delicious apples
2 c. Gizdich apple juice
Sugar, varies
¾ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. allspice
3 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
Peel, slice and core washed apples. Add apple juice and cook slowly until apples are soft. Put through a food mill or sieve. Add ½ to ¾ cups sugar for each cup of pulp, depending on tartness of apples. Add spices and mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, stirring often until mixture sheets from spoon. Ladle into hot sterilized jars. Seal at once. Yields 3 pints.
Recipes courtesy of Gizdich Ranch.
