When the cooling winds usher in autumn's colorful transformation, Long Island continues to bustle with activity. As folks pack away bathing suits and beach towels, weekend outings shift from the shorelines to the farm and wine country. Throughout the months of September and October, the eastern north fork becomes a scene of traffic congestion as Long Islanders and tourists alike make their pilgrimage along Sound Avenue in a quest for wine tasting, apple and pumpkin picking and farm stand shopping for locally produced provisions.
A number of farms are host to fall festivals, complete with refreshments of roasted corn and candied apples and activities such as hayrides, pumpkin carving and elaborate mazes through expansive cornfields. Martha Clara frequently welcomes visitors to weekend events, such as antique automobile shows, pet adoption marathons or entertainment performances to benefit various charities. For fall festival fun for the entire family, consider Finks Farm, Windy Acres Farm and Harbes Farm. To add some local artisan gems to the evening's dinner back at home, try some fresh cheese from the Catapano Dairy Farm and a luscious fruit pie baked at Briermere Farm.
When it comes to a relaxing time out spent sipping local wine, Long Island's wine region offers more than fifty vineyards to choose from. Many wineries feature live music and tours of the vineyards and wine making facilities.
Remember to stop for some sustenance. The Cooperidge Inn features a brunch buffet on Sundays. If your cravings are leaning more toward local seafood, The Lobster Roll is always teeming with autumn weekenders. Adjacent to the Lobster Roll, you can enjoy locally produced wines and craft beer while sampling some traditional fare from one of the old local families at the North Fork Tasting Room. If you venture as far as Greenport, a charming harbor side village is brimming with restaurants to try. From the famous Claudio's to the elegant Scrimshaw, both venues offering dockside dining.
As the quest for the perfect Jack-o-lantern pumpkin becomes more urgent during mid-October, you may wish to avoid the farm frenzy and participate in other fall pursuits, such as hiking through on of Long Island's many local, county, state and federal parks. Enjoy the seaside ambience with a family picnic on one of Long Island's beaches and, perhaps, tour the Fire Island, Horton Point or Montauk lighthouses.
Wherever your leisure pursuits may take you, autumn is an exciting time on the east end. Amid the gold, maroon, rust and purple mums, the bales of hay, the piles of pumpkins and the street side placards that beckon welcome, there's a host of fall fun for every member of the family.
A number of farms are host to fall festivals, complete with refreshments of roasted corn and candied apples and activities such as hayrides, pumpkin carving and elaborate mazes through expansive cornfields. Martha Clara frequently welcomes visitors to weekend events, such as antique automobile shows, pet adoption marathons or entertainment performances to benefit various charities. For fall festival fun for the entire family, consider Finks Farm, Windy Acres Farm and Harbes Farm. To add some local artisan gems to the evening's dinner back at home, try some fresh cheese from the Catapano Dairy Farm and a luscious fruit pie baked at Briermere Farm.
When it comes to a relaxing time out spent sipping local wine, Long Island's wine region offers more than fifty vineyards to choose from. Many wineries feature live music and tours of the vineyards and wine making facilities.
Remember to stop for some sustenance. The Cooperidge Inn features a brunch buffet on Sundays. If your cravings are leaning more toward local seafood, The Lobster Roll is always teeming with autumn weekenders. Adjacent to the Lobster Roll, you can enjoy locally produced wines and craft beer while sampling some traditional fare from one of the old local families at the North Fork Tasting Room. If you venture as far as Greenport, a charming harbor side village is brimming with restaurants to try. From the famous Claudio's to the elegant Scrimshaw, both venues offering dockside dining.
As the quest for the perfect Jack-o-lantern pumpkin becomes more urgent during mid-October, you may wish to avoid the farm frenzy and participate in other fall pursuits, such as hiking through on of Long Island's many local, county, state and federal parks. Enjoy the seaside ambience with a family picnic on one of Long Island's beaches and, perhaps, tour the Fire Island, Horton Point or Montauk lighthouses.
Wherever your leisure pursuits may take you, autumn is an exciting time on the east end. Amid the gold, maroon, rust and purple mums, the bales of hay, the piles of pumpkins and the street side placards that beckon welcome, there's a host of fall fun for every member of the family.
Taking a Bite Out of Long Island's Apple
As the autumn season rolls in, those roadside signs that beckon drivers to stop in and pick your own apples command attention. There are several farms where apple picking is welcomed, and one orchard in particular is that of Woodside Orchards.
Established in 1982, the family orchard grows over 20 varieties of apples that are available for harvest at varying points throughout the season. If picking the apples yourself is not your thing, there are plenty of pre-picked apples available for purchase there as well. There are so many different varieties of apples, the orchard offers the opportunity to try something new and different from the usual supermarket red delicious and granny smith. I have sampled and enjoyed some macouns and honeycrisps. My personal favorite is the Arkansas black, a deep red variety that offers an ever-so-slight hint of wine flavor to each bite. You can also find varieties such as empires, Jonathans and winesaps.
The orchard also vends its own apple cider and cider slushies, and for the childhood sweet tooth in all of us, candied apples, caramel apples, apple pies, apple butters and cider doughnuts are also offered. In 2012, Woodside’s Aquebogue location introduced their first batches of hard apple cider. Available in both sweet and tart variations and produced with a blend of eight different apples, tastings are available at their Aquebogue location and both ciders may be purchased in growler containers. Additional variations laced with cinnamon and other spices were released to usher in Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Next time you embark on a pilgrimage to Long Island’s east end for all of its wine country vineyard charms and farm stands with their wagons overflowing with pumpkins, add one more stop to your itinerary and pick a peck or two of the freshest juicy apples. Woodside Orchards has two locations with apple picking opportunities: one in Aquebogue on route 25, and the other located in Jamesport on Manor Lane. Visit www.woodsideorchards.com for apple picking schedules, directions, and hours of operation.
For some inspiration, click on the following links to read more about apples:
Time to Pick On the Apples!
Tempted By An Apple
Established in 1982, the family orchard grows over 20 varieties of apples that are available for harvest at varying points throughout the season. If picking the apples yourself is not your thing, there are plenty of pre-picked apples available for purchase there as well. There are so many different varieties of apples, the orchard offers the opportunity to try something new and different from the usual supermarket red delicious and granny smith. I have sampled and enjoyed some macouns and honeycrisps. My personal favorite is the Arkansas black, a deep red variety that offers an ever-so-slight hint of wine flavor to each bite. You can also find varieties such as empires, Jonathans and winesaps.
The orchard also vends its own apple cider and cider slushies, and for the childhood sweet tooth in all of us, candied apples, caramel apples, apple pies, apple butters and cider doughnuts are also offered. In 2012, Woodside’s Aquebogue location introduced their first batches of hard apple cider. Available in both sweet and tart variations and produced with a blend of eight different apples, tastings are available at their Aquebogue location and both ciders may be purchased in growler containers. Additional variations laced with cinnamon and other spices were released to usher in Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
Next time you embark on a pilgrimage to Long Island’s east end for all of its wine country vineyard charms and farm stands with their wagons overflowing with pumpkins, add one more stop to your itinerary and pick a peck or two of the freshest juicy apples. Woodside Orchards has two locations with apple picking opportunities: one in Aquebogue on route 25, and the other located in Jamesport on Manor Lane. Visit www.woodsideorchards.com for apple picking schedules, directions, and hours of operation.
For some inspiration, click on the following links to read more about apples:
Time to Pick On the Apples!
Tempted By An Apple