The air is crisp, the sky is clear blue, and the landscapes are painted with brilliant shades of red, yellow, orange and gold. It’s harvest time in New York.
All around the state, farmers welcome visitors to fields and orchards where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables. Our biggest fall harvests are apples and grapes, but you’ll also find plenty of autumn raspberries, squash, sweet corn and tomatoes. Take a trip to a pumpkin patch to pick your perfect Halloween pumpkin.
New York is the top apple producer in the East (second in the US). In more than 700 orchards, trees are laden with big juicy apples, ripe for picking. With so many delicious varieties, our season continues into early November. In the Capital-Saratoga region, Goold Orchards has seven varieties of apples, a farm store, and an Apple Festival every October. Check out New York Apple Country for a directory of orchards throughout the state.
Savor the intoxicating aroma of the grape harvest in late September and October. Along with apples and other fresh produce, you can pick Concord grapes at Chadakoin Farms and Lembke Farm in the Lake Erie Grape Belt. Stretching for fifty miles along the shores of Lake Erie, this picture-perfect countryside is the world’s largest Concord grape-growing region and the second largest grape-growing region in the US. You can get there by taking a scenic drive on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.
Many farms are just a short drive from New York City. On the North Shore of Long Island, friendly pick-your-own farms include Harbes Family Farm and Lewin Farms. In the scenic Hudson Valley you’ll find Mr. Apples Orchard near High Falls, and Weed Orchards with apples, grapes, pumpkins, and fall festivals every weekend.
Along with the fun of picking your own fruit, many farms offer farm tours, hayrides, corn mazes and other fall activities. There’s often a country store and a café or picnicking on the grounds. You can even milk a cow at Kelder’s Farm Market & U-pick in the Catskills. Brown's Berry Patch, about 45 minutes west of Rochester, offers pony rides as well as pick-your-own raspberries, elderberries, apples and pumpkins.
At Watt Farms Country Market in the Greater Niagara region, the purchase of a ticket for a scenic train ride admits you to apple picking in the orchard. And about 20 miles east of Buffalo, a horsedrawn wagon takes you out to the pumpkin patch on The Great Pumpkin Farm.
Check the New York State Guide to Fresh Produce for information on you-pick farms from Long Island to Chautauqua. Whether you’re continuing a family tradition or starting a new one, now is the perfect time to spend a day in New York’s farm country. You’ll bring home a bounty of fresh produce and sweet memories.