Well, friends, we made a huge life change earlier this summer and moved to the BIG APPLE! So, it only seems fitting that we should celebrate the start of fall with apple picking.
More about the big move later…because who can resist talking about apple cider donuts, apple pie, apple fritters, and apple crisps?! We decided to visit Fishkill Farms and it exceeded all of our expectations! We made this a day trip from the city and it worked out so well!
We took the train from Grand Central to Beacon (less than 2 hours away) and grabbed a Lyft out to the farm. It was a short ride from the train station to the farm, and it was fairly empty when we arrived just before 10. Naturally, we snagged cider donuts before we did anything else. It seemed like the best way to start the day. They were delicious and my only regret is that we didn’t bring any back with us. The donuts were promptly followed by apple cider and a stroll through the farm store. They have pies, flowers, gifts, cheese, and everything in between. After proper donut nourishment, we headed to the Welcome Shed to check in, pick up our half-bushel bag, and headed towards the orchard.
Now for the fun part…APPLE PICKING! I had no idea there were so many kinds of apples. Spartan, Empire, Golden Delicious…oh my! I have also never been apple picking, so the whole experience was new and highly entertaining! The orchard is well marked and clearly identifies if a particular type of apple is ripe, or not yet ready to pick. There are other fruits on the farm as well, but we couldn’t find any pears that were just right, so we will obviously have to go back! I highly recommend wearing something that can get a little dirty. We had to forage into the trees for some of the best-looking apples and, since it had just rained, boots were an excellent choice. We tried to get 2 of each type of apple and our bag was pretty full by the end. Pro tip: bring a backpack (check orchard policies) or a reusable grocery bag to more easily carry your apples back to the city if you take the train.
We learned the proper way to pick an apple, I was chased by 3 roosters (maybe they can smell fear), and stumbled upon the cutest pumpkin patch, sheep friends, and a pick-your-own flower garden. Y’all, this farm has it ALL. Did I mention the hay rides?! By the time we had made it all around the orchard and back to the farm store/cider bar, they had a band set up and the farm was PACKED. You can make reservations to sit on the porch at the cider bar which overlooks the farm, or they offer plenty of picnic tables to enjoy food and beverages while soaking in the beautiful views.
We took a Lyft back to Beacon and started at one end of Main Street and walked back (with our 20 lbs of apples) to the train. Beacon is a charming town with restaurants, breweries, and shops all along the way. This was the perfect way to end the day and gave us plenty of options to make a whole day trip!
After a very fun but exhausting day, we made it back home and my husband decided to make an apple pie! Granted, we have a small fridge so the apples currently take up an entire shelf. We HAD to make a pie to make room in the fridge, right?
Now that we’ve moved to a place that has a real fall (sorry, Texas), I can’t wait to keep exploring our new city and scoping out all the best places for pumpkins, leaf peeping, cider donuts, and more!
Thanks for stopping by!
YOGA MATS & HARD HATS 