Local Newspaper Celebrates the Unique Character of Julian
I have written about the quaint town of Julian a number of times and about the variety things that draws me there at least a few times a year. It is about an hour away but it is a beautiful drive through the more rural parts of San Diego county. One of the real pleasures enjoyed here as I have mentioned before is that it is apple country and this town knows exactly what to do with them.
The newspaper this morning featured a large article titled, Julian, It's All About Apples and Pie. Certainly there can be no disagreement about that and my last visit days before Thanksgiving was to get the pies for the holiday. I also love the unpasteurized apple cider that is so amazing. In the article, they discuss the 3 main pie bakeries and that the locals have no clear consensus on a favorite bakery because they are all so superb. My experience in that would also confirm this as I have had pies from most of the bakeries there and they are all excellent. But when really questioning the locals in a more unscientific and small public opinion poll, they did select one by a very small margin as their favorite. The Apple Alley Bakery.
As I was reading the article, I recalled that I had taken a few photos of the pies offered at three of the bakeries on Main Street when I went in to purchase my pies for Thanksgiving. This trip, I bought them from the Julian Pie Company because they have one unique pie that the others don't have. The Apple Mountain Berry Crumb ( in photo below, lower right hand corner). I can tell you this from years of experience with this pie, it is the most amazing taste in a pie I have ever had. A 10 inch pie costs $14.75 and I would pay any price for it. It is more than just a pie, it is a savory explosion of joy starting with the first bite and when finished the only feeling I had was disappointment that it was gone. I can't think of any other food item that affects me the same way.
OK, so much for the pies in Julian. This town also was a gold mining town back in its day and a few of the miners stayed on after the gold rush ended and the gold was all gone to raise their families. I think it has only a few hundred permanent residents but if you visited it, you would guess half the world lives there with the lines formed on Main Street for yes, the pies. There I go again, talking about the pies. So maybe today, after all the picture taking of the costumed characters adding the authenticity of the old West and the gold mining town in the wilderness and the wonderful little quaint town in the hills, maybe it is in the end, All about the Apples and Pies.
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