Oak Glen

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Oak Glen, California, is a small apple growing community situated between the San Bernardino Mountains and the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The area has been growing apples and other crops for over 150 years, however the native peoples have benefitted from the bounty of acorns and fresh mountain streams for a thousand years. The Cahuilla and Serrano peoples harvested acorns and leached them in the streams to draw out the tannins, many Manos and Metates can still be found in the areas streambeds.

Though the surrounding area has grown exponentially, Oak Glen remains largely unchanged and quite rural. Several of the original ranches are still in operation and apple season is still the biggest draw in the area. Oak Glen is home to many antique varieties of apples that are no longer commercially produced such as, Ben Davis, Gravenstein, Pink Pearl and more. This area is also home to some of the last operational cider mills in Southern California, producing unpasteurized and unfiltered raw apple cider.

In the past Oak Glen grew apples mainly for export, however in the 1940s several ranches began selling at roadside stands directly to the consumer. In recent years the export trade has all but disappeared and the apple season has become a time for families to visit and get their fruit directly from the growers.

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