People have been asking where to find the fruit this fall. We offer these four recommendations; send us your tips too.
Kelder’s Farm, Kerhonkson, N.Y.
Kelder’s still has plenty of passes to pick Honeycrisps this weekend. There are also pumpkins, mazes, animals and craft beer and wine. (Note: I also bought bales of hay here to make our Halloween decor more … authentic.) If you’re making a day trip of this, we recommend adding a hike along Rosendale Trestle, which offers soaring views of the Hudson Valley from 150 feet above the Rondout Creek. And maybe a stop at Ollie’s Pizza in High Falls, delicious wood-fired pies, ample outdoor seating and best of all: negronis on tap.
Windy Acres; Calverton, N.Y.
The fruit-picking here is low drama, requires masks and it’s very easy to distance among sprawling fields organized into neat rows. The farmstand has goodies like roasted corn and fresh local mozzarella. The catch is that “UPick” tends to run on short notice (like the day before or, for this week, Thursday only) but the reward is fresh apples, peaches, nectarines, green beans, eggplants, zucchini and more. Do call ahead or check this Facebook page to check hours and availability on the supply, which varies day to day.
Belltown Hill Orchards, Glastonbury, Conn.
If you are willing to stretch your day-trip radius a little farther than usual, this Central Connecticut suburb is the place to go. South Glastonbury is filled with rolling hills, farms and orchards. Belltown Hill Orchards is a sprawling, fourth-generation farm that has different types of fruit to pick just about any time of the year. September usually brings plums, peaches, nectarines, pears and four types of apples. Apples are the farm’s specialty, and there are two dozen varieties on offer (try the Pink Lady and Winesap)! End your visit with the famous apple fritters or apple cider doughnuts. Down the street you’ll find another gem, Dondero Orchards, which has a great farm store with preserves and sells sandwiches.
Terhune Orchards, Princeton, N.J.
Terhune hosts fall festivals on the weekends and innovative kids programs (read with chickens!). Its farmstand is well stocked more in the fashion of a grocery store; we highly recommend buying the apple cider by the gallon and pre-ordering pies. Its website right now says you can pick apples, flowers, gourds and pumpkins, with more extensive apple types available in October. Our previous day trip to Princeton featured two other must-dos: The Grounds for Sculpture and the pizza cheesesteak at Hoagie Haven.
