Growing up on the East Coast, I tend to equate apple season to crisp weather and leaves changing from green to yellow or red. Even after 30 years living in Northern California, I am continually caught ...

Reporting from Sebastopol, Calif. — With thick, hollow trunks and lichen-draped limbs propped up on crutches, the century-old Gravenstein trees at Walker Apples look less like a working orchard than ...

Question: What can you tell me about the origin of our local Gravenstein apple? A: That’s a great question! Let’s start with the origin of apples themselves, as there is much more known about that ...

SEBASTOPOL - Sonoma County is perhaps best known for its rolling hills that nurture vineyards, but before California wines rose to international prominence, the county was home to another principal ...

Also, Farm Trails is hosting a Aug. 14 benefit concert to raise funds for next year’s Gravenstein Apple Fair. I have had relatives in Sonoma County since before I was born, even though I didn’t move ...

APPLE BLOSSOMS, not apple pie, that traditional treat of mid-summer, nor apple cider, the beloved autumn beverage, are what's on our apple-loving minds when spring begins. But sometimes the pleasures ...

In fall, my thoughts naturally turn to apples. Specifically, Gravensteins. For many years Gravensteins were the hallmark of Sebastopol, Calif., the small town where I grew up about an hour north of ...

How to select: Choose shiny apples that are firm, without soft spots or broken skins. The color of the skin is usually a greenish-yellow with red streaks. Crisp and juicy, the Gravenstein has a ...