Noble Orchard

These are the rudest people I have ever seen that own a business. The lady is so rude. I know I will never go back. I don’t care how good the product is when the owner has terrible customer service skills I wont buy!

Best apple cider. So fresh tasting!

It’s family tradition for us to visit these guys when we’re nearby during the holidays. The apples are so good and the little store is a quaint mountain experience.

Heirloom Apples, Black Twig, Arkansas Black and Winesap are all available here. This is where I tasted my first Pink Lady. You will also find some of the more traditional apples, the red delicious and the Fuji. There can be a science lesson with each purchase, as the orchard owner is happy to share apple trivia and facts, i.e., why a gallon of apple juice weighs more than a gallon of water, or how to determine the sweetness of the apple by feeling the skin. The true beauty of this place is the setting… There’s a reason they call this town Paradise. Sitting right on the snow line, you either go uphill to be cooler or downhill to be warmer.
At the Noble orchards you are buying direct from the packing shed and the smell of a couple tons of fresh apples mixed with pine trees and fresh air is absolutely heavenly. In addition to the apples and apple juice, or cider, they had mandarin oranges and jams and local olive oil. Of course, you gotta love those squeeky wooden floors.
Call before you go to make sure they have the apple of your eye, and call me when the pie is ready.

Charming, low-​key and most importantly — selling mouth-​wateringly delicious apples. These are tree-​ripened and there are many, many varieties: Pink Lady, Rome, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Winesap, Braeburn, Jonathon, Jonagold, Pippin, you name it… as well as some lovely heirlooms.
Jim and Laurie Noble run the place — they’re celebrating the 90^th year of this family business this year. They sell from their orchard in Paradise, CA and it’s a fun weekend drive from Chico to go up and pick up some apples, do a tasting, and buy cider, etc. Nothing compared to the busyness of Apple Hill of course, but charming none the less.
They also sell at the Farmer’s Market in Chico on Saturdays, and I think in Paradise on Tuesdays too. Price ranges between $ 1 – 2 per pound of apples. You must try the Winesaps for pies — my favorite and soooo good.
We try to take our little boys up there each year during season, just once. It’s often cold and rainy but still a fun outing.