US: Oak Glen growers predict 'really jumbo' apples
Record rainfall: It brought bigger fruit, experts say

Juicy berries, jumbo apples, live entertainment and autumnal ambience fill this hamlet at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. Apple season in Oak Glen, north of Interstate 10 between Yucaipa and Cherry Valley, officially begins this weekend and earlier crops with bigger fruit await visitors, said Alison Law-Mathisen, president of the Oak Glen Apple Growers Association.

>>> Alvaro Peña pours into a bin the apples that he had picked in an apple orchard at Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen. Apple season starts this month and runs into December.

"We had a 150-year-record wet year this year," Law-Mathisen said by phone. "We'll have a lot of really jumbo, really nice-size fruit ... thanks to Mother Nature." Apple season runs into December, offering visitors a chance to pick a variety of apples and berries, eat homemade pie, drink fresh-pressed cider, hike, and shop. Oak Glen farmers struggled the last several years to keep crops and visitors after experiencing droughts, fires, hungry bears and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Law-Mathisen said.

Along with bigger fruit and crops, the rains also mean local creeks are running full, she said. "We're hoping this year will be the first year (since 2000) that we really have a good year," she said. Law-Mathisen sells organic, locally grown produce, from tasty blackberries to ripe tomatoes, at her store, Mom's Country Orchard. Some ranches began pressing cider three weeks earlier this year.

At Los Rios Rancho, a petting zoo and hayrides are among the attractions, orchard operator Devon Riley said. Visitors can also pick fruit, eat, browse in a gift shop or hike. Los Rios, Southern California 's largest historic ranch, was purchased by the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy and practices organic-farming methods.

"We're doing berry picking right now, and apples," Riley said by phone. "Then starting on pumpkins and (different varieties of) apples in October." Red raspberries, which ripened late this year, should be available through the end of the month, Riley said. Apples like Spartans, McIntosh and Jonathans are ready to pick. Later in the year, Winesaps and Arkansas Blacks are among the varieties that ripen, he said.

Fancy apple varieties, like Pink Pearl, are available at Wood Acres, proprietor Pat Wood said. An antique store also graces the family-owned ranch. Live music, barbecues and stunt shows are among the activities at ranches throughout Oak Glen. Aura Haat of Mira Loma got a jump-start on the season by bringing her niece, who was visiting from New York, last week.

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