Every year, Lewis and I partake of an Autumn Roadtrip. Our previous automotive adventures went through the Hudson River Valley, Connecticut countryside, and Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. We always visited farms for hen-fresh eggs, bushels of apples, pecks of pears (those size-terms exist),
maple candy, pumpkin wine, and meat pies. We lunched at small-town cafés and snacked at shops full of handmade chocolate and fudge (a New England standby). We paused to urinate by gurgling steams. We meandered on trails along historic stone walls (another New England icon). Sometimes, we took the ferry across the Long Island Sound as we returned homeward.
This year, it happened right before the First Day of Fall. We invited Lewis' mom. Our friend, Yvonne, drove us... and I was elected to map-out an idyllic route for us through Westchester County. It was humorously ironic that we embarked from a city nicknamed "The Big Apple" to go apple-picking! Ha ha! Once we got beyond the bridge from NYC (always congested), our momentum improved.
Avoiding the main highways and expressways, I opted for the oft-overlooked parkways. Parkways don't allow trucks, and that helps avoid rocks being thrown at your car from truck tires. Parkways are curvaceous and tree-lined. A few years ago, we used Route 9. This time, we headed north via the Saw Mill River Parkway, which hugs several state parks and wildlife preserves.
We also used the famously-scenic Taconic State Parkway, built by President Roosevelt in the 1930s to give motorists a pleasant roadway to admire NY's natural charms. You see waterfalls, reservoirs, lakes, mountains, foothills, and rocky cliffs. Reaching the desired latitude (by FDR Park), we diverted onto Route 202, which is a curvy rural road that led us delightfully through quaint neighborhoods.
From Astoria, NY, our leisurely 1.5 hour drive ended ahead-of-schedule for our brunch reservations at Purdy's Farmer & the Fish. It's situated in North Salem, NY.
Occupying a clapboard home built in 1775, the farm-to-table restaurant also has an air-conditioned Farm Produce Stand. We went there first.
With "country town" charm, the cold brew coffee is self-served from a jug in the refrigerated section, alongside farm-fresh turnips, carrots, and parsnips. Below, a rustic spray-gun is used by the shopkeeper to keep veggies moist/fresh.
Their farmland and greenhouses are visible behind the house.
Their blooming garden encircles the house, allowing for outdoor seating on its wraparound porch.
We opted to sit in the air-conditioning and admired the historic beamed ceiling. During cooler months, the 3-way fireplace burns logs for ambiance. However, the temperature for that mid-September day was still 89-degrees! (In Amsterdam--where we spent my recent birthday--it was a more seasonably-appropriate 68-degrees. That is the climate we want to have!) Befitting the situation, we wore shorts, yet we rehydrated with puréed Pumpkin Rye cocktails.
Their handmade bread and creamy butter were delicious. We lunched on Grafton Cheddar biscuits, smoked Ham, farm-fresh Bacon, Rock Shrimp in dairy-fresh cream sauce, breaded Calamari salad, Lobster Roll, and hen-laid Eggs.
*If you like farm-to-table brunches and want to see another one, please click here: https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2018/03/restaurant-review-brunch-at-union.html
Ten minutes later, we joined a line of cars on Hardscrabble Road (which means "hard work/struggle") entering Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard. Family-owned, those 65 acres support antibiotic-free & hormone-free livestock: turkeys, pigs, chickens, and grass-fed cows. Their orchards and vegetable fields use organic fertilizers and pest controls. Planting and harvesting is done by hand.
Seeing the minimum-wage parking attendant reach for his "Parking Lot Full" sign, I urged Yvonne to speed through. As it turned out, we were the last car allowed in! Even then, we had to drive to the far corner of a grass field to get a parking space. Inside, it resembled a Street Fair Amusement Park!
We were surprised by the hordes of visitors crammed onto the historic property. The owners are certainly keeping profitable from so many inner-city families and suburbanites.
Most folks preferred to have Mexican food, pizza, and beer at that orchard (seen above/below).
We did admire the sights at the Petting Zoo of goats and chickens, alongside Pony rides.
*To see when we visited a real zoo in Berlin (and saw Germany's three amazing Panda bears), please use this link:
They give the option of paying to enter the orchard and pick your own apples, but $30 for a bag of 60 apples was prohibitive. We didn't want 60 apples, and the price was set.
Inside the large-yet-rustic store, we snagged the very last Dutch Apple-Crumb pie! It has always been Lewis' favorite. (Dutch apple pie has a crispy streusel topping). The box was still warm, since the pie came straight from the oven! You can't beat that kind of freshness.
Long lines discouraged us from buying items in their Wine/Hard-Cider/Ale shop. So, we paid for our pies and made the cashier gush with appreciation because we brought our own bags (to save the environment). (Their website encourages you to do that, but few people apparently did).
We navigated narrow lanes to get to the next orchard, called Sallinger's Orchard & Farm in Brewster. Less touristy, it immediately appealed to us. Its 71 acres are operated by a fourth-generation owner.
Their website gives a heads-up as to which varieties of apples are "in season".
We were disappointed that their Preserves contained sucrose sugar. Also, sugar was the main ingredient in too many jars of Jam. We did not buy them. Fruit should be the first ingredient--and hopefully the only one, aside from pectin or citric acid.
We bought a peck (smaller than a bushel) of Macon apples, and a handful of Honey Crisp apples. Lewis' mom ironically bought a peck of Asian Pears. Their freshly-baked, juicy fruit pies were cooling off, after coming from the oven.
Lewis and I selected one that was sugar-free, so we could taste the apples in their natural deliciousness.
Lewis and I selected one that was sugar-free, so we could taste the apples in their natural deliciousness.
He and I were glad to see that their chicken pot pies were made with a bottom crust. Too many New York places skimp on that and cheaply only use a top crust.
Seeing them making fresh cider doughnuts swayed us to hand-pick half a dozen! We also bought a pint of cider.
After cruising by the reservoir, we popped into Stuart's Fruit Farm, established in 1828 and still family-owned.
With 200 acres, it is the oldest working farm in the county.
A pleasant man in a wide-brim straw hat informed us that we could pick our own apples in the orchard. They grow 20 varieties, as well as peaches.
However, we opted to avoid the heat of the sun (it was 89-degrees!) and choose from their existing baskets. Yvonne selected some organic-grown vegetables and tomatoes.
We rested in classic Adirondack chairs (named after the nearby mountain range that was named for a tribe of Native Americans who initially lived on it). The weather truly represented an Indian Summer: a New England phenomenon of unseasonable warmth in autumn. Yvonne, a NYC Park Ranger, blamed it on global warming--specifically summertime heat pollution from New York City, 40 miles away. Therefore, some shade amidst aromatic apples was refreshing. Then, we returned home to watch the Emmy Awards and eat pie! Overall, it was a delightful day of autumn's bounty! :-)
