Let’s Go Apple Picking at This Heirloom Family Orchard
Take a stroll through the trees with Stan and Jolie Devoto, while they argue over favorite apple varieties.
Stan & Jolie Devoto | Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Every time you ask Stan and Jolie Devoto to pick a favorite variety of heirloom apples, they’ll switch up their answers. “It’s like asking who my favorite daughter is,” Stan shrugs. “Today we’re with Jolie, so let’s say Jolie.” From historic Gravenstein to trending Pink Pearl, new crops of glowing GoldRush and cute little Wickson, they’ve got many different types that keep rolling all autumn long. To be fair, crunching as many as you can find is part of the fun.
Husband-and-wife Stan and Susan Devoto moved to an old orchard near Sebastopol in 1976, where they started farming on a couple of acres. Eventually, they moved up the road to a larger property with 20 acres, growing apples, flowers, and grapes, as well as raising three daughters. Sadly, Susan died of brain cancer in 2013, but two daughters have stepped in to help run the family farm. Middle child Jolie co-founded and sold Golden State Cider, and now leads special projects and marketing, while the youngest Cecily manages half a dozen farmers markets.
Today Devoto Gardens & Orchards have grown to five locations and 48 acres total. They became certified organic back in 2009, which means relentless work in the apple business, watching closely for codling moths, spreading compost and planting cover crops, while grafting roots, thinning buds, and harvesting fruit all by hand. Devoto currently grows between 80 and 100 different varieties of apples — Jolie would say more than 80, but Stan suspects nearly 100. At 74 years old, Stan still loves dropping off boxes at Bi-Rite Markets and selling apples at the Ferry Building, where chefs swing by to pick up orders. This time of year, you can spot his apples on menus at Zuni Cafe, Nopa, Delfina, Juniper, and more.
Stan Devoto hoists a ladder in the orchards. | Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Gravenstein kicks off the season surprisingly early in August, as the historic apple long associated with Sonoma County, dating back to the 1800s. It’s followed closely by the social media sensation Pink Pearl, developed nearby in Humboldt County, with its shocking pink interior. Both wildly popular, they have tantalizingly short seasons, which only last a few weeks. If you missed both, don’t despair. There are so many different types of heirloom apples, which keep rolling all autumn long. In fact, Jolie and Stan confide that the late season apples tend to build flavor, offering some of the juiciest specimens of the year.
If you grew up eating only a few grocery store staples, stored for months until disappointingly soft, then snapping up heirloom apples in their micro seasons offers revelations in texture and flavor. So come along for a stroll through the trees, and let’s go apple picking with the Devotos.
Becky Duffett
Mutsu
This green giant starts out crisp and gathers sweet juice across the season. A cross between Golden Delicious and Japanese Indo varieties, it came out of Michigan in the 1940s. Large enough to share, it’s an ideal apple for slicing and stacking with sharp cheeses or spreading with nut butters. Feast on them across September and October.
Hawaiian
A big yellow apple with a sunset blush of pink and orange, the Hawaiian has a crashing wave of super sweet flavor. Although it’s not from those islands at all, it grew up right here in Sebastopol in the 1940s, the love child of a Gravenstein and Golden Delicious. It’s a hit with kids or anyone with a sweet tooth. Don’t miss its short season in late September and October.
Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Wickson
These cute little crab apples pack a snappy texture and tropical tang. “It almost has a lychee-like flavor,” Jolie describes. Crossing a couple of different crab apples, they came out of neighboring Humboldt County further north in the 1940s. They’re just the right size to pop into a lunch box or pile on a cheese plate. Catch them while you can in late September and early October.
GoldRush
The GoldRush features a warm yellow hue all the way through, and a rush of sweet sugar and tart acid. Nothing to do with miners seeking their fortune in California, this relative of the Golden Delicious was invented in Indiana in the 1970s and popularized in the 1990s. Perfect for simply snacking or tossing in salads, it’s a deep-season apple that builds big flavor in late October.
Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Arkansas Black
A dramatically dark apple, this one rocks a nearly black skin, pale golden flesh, and complex wine flavor. It’s named after its home state of Arkansas, where it grew in the 1800s. It’s one of Jolie’s all-time favorites for making cider, and sinks down into flavorful sauces, completely falling apart. Seek out these rare beauties in late October and November.
Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Belle de Boskoop
Jolie has a personal obsession with russeted apples, referring to those tan patches of leathery skin. But don’t be fooled by its rough exterior, the Belle de Boskoop is absolutely delicious. An old-world apple from the Netherlands in the 1800s, it’s firm and tart enough to hold up beautifully during baking. It’s already rolling at the time of writing, but hits peak season in October and early November.
Brisket, one of the resident farm dogs, eyes an Arkansas Black. | Devoto Gardens & Orchards
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. Follow her on Instagram at @beckyduffett.
