On the first day of apple picking season we decided to visit Stone Soup Farm in Oak Glen (around an hour outside of LA). We had a great time apple picking for a few hours before a fire broke out close by (I’m sure many of you in Southern California followed the El Dorado/gender reveal fire closely). Thankfully the orchard was saved from the fire and has now reopened to the public so you can all go visit and support them now, too. Here’s a recap of our morning at the orchard!

We arrived promptly at opening time and found a small line forming by the time we got there. The staff was all extremely welcoming (and mask-wearing, unlike some other local orachrds) and explained some of the policies and details of how to apple pick as we waiting to enter. There are signs stating mask wearing and social distancing are required, and while they were not strictly enforcing it (and at times I felt a little too close for comfort to people in lines) I think that could easily be avoided by not arriving promptly at opening times when people are waiting to enter. There is also a note on the website that if the orchard gets too full they will hold admission until others leave. In addition to limiting numbers and masks, they have a “you touch, you buy” policy in place for all their u-pick crops and multiple hand sanitizing stations located throughout the farm. Overall it felt very safe and clean which I know is a major consideration for all activities now.

Once we were in the orchard we wandered around looking for trees that were ready to pick (they are marked with ribbons if they’re ready). Check out their website for a complete list of apple varieties and when they are expected to be in season. My three year old loved running from tree to tree and looking for ribbons.

The orchard itself is large enough to stay distanced from people but small enough that you can walk the whole space. We explored for 30 minutes or so (we went on an extremely hot day) before deciding we had enough apples and we were ready for some treats!

They have a great little food stand with apple-flavored foods of which we indulged in many of them. I highly recommend the iced cider and popsicles! There is a super cute little seating area that was shady and well spaced and was a nice place to relax for a bit.

As you explore the farm you’ll also find a few little bridges (anyone with toddlers knows this is a true kid highlight), a chicken pen with the fluffiest chickens I’ve ever seen and a whole section with family-friendly activities like cider pressing and games like archery. We did not do any of those activities but we did see other people enjoying them.

You can visit Stone Soup Farm between now and November for apple picking and throughout the year when other crops are in season. Admission is $5 for everyone 5+ years old and there is also a fee per pound for the apples you pick.

Happy apple picking!