This 84-year-old Calif. institution is your delicious pit stop on the way to Big Sur

Distressed I’d need to (god forbid) accept choosing the berries and baking the pie myself, I frantically tried to entry the farm’s web site for higher instructions — however alas, I had no cell reception. I lastly resorted to the old style approach of doing issues: I requested a neighbor sitting peacefully on their entrance porch for instructions. 

I drove again down the highway I’d come on, made the following left, and ultimately, it appeared like I used to be on the precise path. A nostalgic-looking emblem of a cartoon farmer in overalls holding a pie greeted me adorably: this fashion, Gizdich Ranch Pie Store and Deli. 

I parked within the gravel lot, then adopted the crowds in direction of the country purple steel constructing helpfully marked “pie store” with an arrow. Finally, pie time was nigh. 

Croatian immigrant Vincent John Gizdich purchased the Watsonville ranch in 1937, and it has stayed within the household by way of a number of generations. It’s now run by his daughter-in-law Nita Gizdich and her two sons, Vince and Noah. Nita has lived in Watsonville her entire life and moved out to the ranch along with her late husband Vincent Gizdich Jr. in 1959. 

Nita was the one who first began baking pies on the farm within the Nineteen Eighties. 

“I had a pal up in San Francisco who had a pie store, and he or she used to return have our olallieberries,” recalled Nita, referring to the tart blackberry hybrid their farm is understood for (they had been one of many first farms to develop the berry again in 1950). “She stated, ‘You must begin a pie store,’ and I stated, ‘I don’t prepare dinner. I don’t like cooking!’”

However the pal satisfied her to learn to bake pies, and that’s the way it all started. 

She began out with simply two flavors, apple and olallieberry, which at present are nonetheless the preferred flavors, however Gizdich Ranch now sells 17 completely different varieties, a few of that are seasonal, just like the strawberry rhubarb and the pumpkin. However regardless of the brand new flavors, the recipe hasn’t modified at all around the years.

“It’s an old-time recipe, it’s not a recipe you discover in a guide,” Nita stated. “The crust is my mom and my mother-in-law’s crust, an old style crust, a crust you don’t discover on pies at present. And we do not put a whole lot of sugar within the pies as a result of … we would like you to style the fruit.”

There’s additionally extra than simply pie on the menu. Attempt their apple dumpling, a decadent ball of pastry full of apple pie filling and drowning in caramel sauce, or their apple slush, a refreshingly icy drink for a scorching August day. 

Nita is not baking the pies herself. As an alternative, she entrusts that process to a employees of 17, whereas she spends her time operating the ranch’s vintage store. However Gizdich Ranch’s desserts are nonetheless beloved by locals and out-of-towners alike. Individuals are prepared to drive miles for them. 

“And I imply miles,” stated Nita. “They arrive from Fresno, the Yosemite space, they arrive a great distance … and a whole lot of instances they’ll purchase three or 4 pies.” 

However what precisely retains them coming again?

“It’s the flavour. … After they get the pie and lower into it, it’s all fruit, there’s no room so as to add any extra fruit to the pie,” stated Nita. “And that’s what they like. A heavy pie.”

As a Bay Space resident who has paid upward of $30 for a pie, Gizdich Ranch’s costs are additionally enticingly low. You possibly can nab a complete pie for a mere $14. Sufficient pie to final you per week for the worth of a single San Francisco cocktail? That’s a no brainer. 

However should you go to Gizdich Ranch, don’t miss the prospect to (additionally) order a single slice of pie a la mode to take pleasure in of their charming barn-side picnic space, with lengthy wood tables shaded by timber and an enormous purple tractor for kids to climb on. You possibly can even make a meal out of it with one of many ranch’s deli sandwiches should you’re so inclined. 

Strains into the pie store will be lengthy, however there’s a lot of memorabilia inside to maintain you occupied when you wait, from a classic range that appears about 84 years previous to framed glowing critiques of Nita’s pies. In case you’re fearful about driving for hours solely to find your most well-liked pie taste is gone by the point you arrive, Nita recommends calling forward — however in my expertise displaying up within the early afternoon, it was simple sufficient to obtain precisely the flavour I needed with out reserving one (strawberry rhubarb, for the document).

As soon as the extra urgent issues (pie) are attended to, it’s value taking a second to wander by way of the expansive reward store within the large purple barn subsequent to the pie store. There, you’ll discover jars of jam, flats of strawberries surrounded by bales of hay and jugs of recent apple juice — on my go to, I noticed a pair lugging at the very least 5 gallons of the stuff again to their automobile, so you understand it needs to be good. 

And should you’re up for a much bigger endeavor, go choose some strawberries, too. However should you desire to skip the guide labor and beeline straight for that superb pie, I received’t blame you.