{"id":210283,"date":"2021-06-01T16:58:59","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T23:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/applehill.com\/?page_id=210283"},"modified":"2023-09-01T20:22:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T03:22:38","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/applehill.com\/our-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Our History"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Over 50 Years Young<\/h2>\n

The Apple Hill Growers has grown from 16 original farms to over 50 farms, including Christmas tree growers and wineries, vineyards and a Bed & Breakfast Inn.<\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_empty_space height=”66px”][vc_single_image image=”210361″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210359″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210360″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”210358″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210366″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210363″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″ offset=”vc_hidden-xs”][vc_empty_space height=”66px”][vc_single_image image=”210365″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210364″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”210362″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The year was 1951 and Floyd Bolster decided to retire in a community called Camino. He bought a farm that had 10 acres of producing apple trees and dreamed of working his land and reaping the rewards of the life of a farmer.<\/p>\n

Six years later, Floyd Bolster died, and his son Gene left his job in Southern California to come to the farm and complete his father\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n

In 1964, Gene Bolster, local grower; Dick Bethell, El Dorado County\u2019s pomology specialist and farm advisor; Edio Delfino, El Dorado County\u2019s agricultural commissioner; and Bob Tuck, a retired army officer, all united to form the Apple Hill Growers. It has been over 50 years and Apple Hill continues to attract people from all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were about 16 farms back then,\u201d said Bolster. \u201cWe usually gathered at Bob Tuck\u2019s house at the end of the day and talked about how hard farming was,\u201d recalled Bolster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an awful pear blight about 36 years ago and we had to do something to survive. Our major crop was pears.\u201d<\/p>\n

To this day, a few of the old pear orchards are still around. \u201cAn orchard can produce for 50 years if it is taken care of,\u201d said Bolster. The pear blight took production from 52,000 tons in 1958 to 8,435 in 1965. A few of the farms had some apples planted, but pears had been the primary crop. It was time for a change.<\/p>\n

Bolster and Delfino set out to discover a way to help the growers keep their farms and make the rich soil of Camino productive again. In 1962 Bolster and Delfino visited Oak Glen in Southern California.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had a successful marketing program, so we got a copy of their bylaws and improved on them,\u201d Delfino said.<\/p>\n

Armed with this information, they returned to Camino, gathered the local farmers together and formed the growers association called Apple Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe faced competition from Washington State apples,\u201d Bethell said, \u201cbut the growers in Camino had to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bolster stated that the apples on the hill may not have that long shape, like the Washington apple. \u201cThey have longer days than we do. We have an ideal growing season, with a long chilling season. In other words, the trees stay dormant longer. So while a Washington apple may look great, our apples have better flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name \u201cApple Hill\u201d was created by Bob Tuck. \u201cIt was amazing how much we accomplished in such a short time,\u201d Bolster said. \u201cWe started in mid-June of 1964 and had everything ready for the first press picnic in August.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the press picnic, each Apple Hill family hosted individual members of the press for a meal at their home and many of them became close friends. The growers also produced 50,000 paper litter bags that they passed out at the State Fair that year, offering two pounds of free apples to visitors who brought the litter bag to Apple Hill with them.<\/p>\n

Bolster still has a few of those bags and if you compare the map that decorated the front of the original Apple Hill literature to the map of ranchers that exists today, you can see that the original association has blossomed into a very successful ranch marketing endeavor.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”210369″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”210368″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”210370″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The Apple Hill Growers has grown from 16 original farms to over 50 farms, including Christmas tree growers, wineries, and vineyards.<\/h2>\n

Another suggestion from Clarice Larson was to show visitors what could be done with apples in cooking. She originated the first place to sample some of the homemade desserts, baked goods, jams, jellies and sauces. In some of the farms\u2019 Web pages you will find a sample of the growers\u2019 favorite recipes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s never easy to get farmers to agree on anything,\u201d Bolster observed, \u201cbut they did agree on forming the growers association. Everyone worked together and Apple Hill rose like a phoenix from the ashes of disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApple Hill was the first ranch marketing effort in Northern California,\u201d Delfino said, \u201cand its success is shown by the fact that now there are ranch marketing groups all over. Apple Hill is a great example of government, farmers and media working together for everyone\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At Larsen\u2019s Ranch, you will find the Rhode Island Greening which is believed to be the oldest apple tree in El Dorado County. At Hilltop Ranch, the Bolsters have collected a number of antique varieties, making available some of the apples of your childhood.<\/p>\n

So much of the history of Apple Hill has been preserved. The community has gone to tremendous effort to protect their history and offer the public an opportunity to step back in time, if only for a day. Visitors will find their day filled with old-fashioned fun. Plan a picnic on the lush land that surrounds these exciting farms. Their doors are opened and the growers have gone the extra mile to ensure your family a day that they will remember.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text] Over 50 Years Young The Apple Hill Growers has grown from 16 original farms to over 50 farms, including Christmas tree growers and wineries, vineyards and a […]<\/p>\n

Read More… from Our History<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-210283","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOur History - Apple Hill Growers Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the growing history of Apple Hill. 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