If you’re going to bite into a ripe juicy apple on a crisp autumn afternoon, you’d do well to be standing under the tree from which it came. This harvest season, head away from the produce aisle and north of the city to the source, where you can breathe in the fresh countryside air, feel blessed by all the bounty, and stock up for those cobblers, appletinis, and pies your friends and family will be expecting.
We’ve selected six places for your next apple picking adventure, and all you need is a healthy sweet tooth and a train (or bus) ticket to get there.
1. Maskers Orchard | Warwick, NY | maskers.com
Why crop up here: In addition to a breathtaking 200-acre setting (with plenty of romantic corners), horned goats and cute-as-Wilbur pigs, Maskers Country Store has shelves filled with apple butter and fresh jams, and the perfect picnic basket to take all your goods home in.
The Apples: Macintosh, Cortlands, Granny Smith, Jonagold, McCowan, Mutsu, Red & Golden Delicious
When to chew: Weekends, 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
How to get there: Take the New Jersey Transit’s #196 or #197 bus from Port Authority to the Warwick Station (the bus route is via Willowbrook). The orchard is 1 mile down the road. Take a walk or call Josie’s taxi at 845.986.8073.
2. Outhouse Orchards | New Salem, NY | oM Review
Why crop up here: Local families come just for the apple cider doughnuts. Walk past the goats and clucking roosters and into the large market for some fresh produce, Pennsylvania Dutch candies, jugs of apple cider, or jams. You can also pick your own pumpkins and explore a corn maze. Oh, and did we mention those doughnuts?
The Apples: Ten varieties, including Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and McIntosh
When to chew: Open daily 9:00a.m.-4:30p.m.. Apple picking is 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
How to get there: Take Metro North Railroad from Grand Central to Croton Falls station stop. Cabs wait at the station to take city folks to the Orchards, three miles up the road.
3. Fishkill Farms | Fishkill, NY | fishkillfarms.com
Why crop up here: Come for the apples and stay for the hayrides, live music, and barbecues. Over the summer, you can also pick your own cherries, berries, peaches, nectarines.
The Apples: There are 15 varieties to chose from, including Idared, Red Delicious, Macoun, Granny Smith, and McIntosh
When to chew: 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., 7 days a week (Note: there is a $5 entrance fee)
How to get there: Take the Metro North’s Hudson Line to Beacon station. Then take about a 20 minute taxi ride.
4. Jenkins & Luekin Orchards | New Paltz, NY | jlorchards.com
Why crop up here: This family orchard is over 50 years old and has delicious apple cider from their own cider mill, local honey, and freshly made treats in the bakery. Pick your own pumpkins, enjoy a hayride, or do the free corn maze.
The Apples: If you hit the season right, usually during the last week of September and the first two weeks of October, all 12 varieties—that includes Macoun, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Red Delicious—will be available.
When to chew: Weekdays and Weekends, 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m.
How to get there: Take the Trailways bus from Port Authority to New Paltz bus (and taxi) station in downtown. Hop a 10 minute cab to the farm.
5. Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm | Yorktown Heights, NY | wilkensfarm.com
Why crop up here: Close to FDR’s home, here you can pick peaches, purchase honey, maple syrup, fresh baked fruit pies, apple strudel sticks, and cider doughnuts.
The Apples: 14 varieties, including Gala, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Fuji, Baldwin
When to chew: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 10:00a.m.-4:30p.m.
How to get there: Take Metro North to Croton Harmon. Call a cab in advance. (1335 White Hill Road, 914.245.5111)
6. Meadowbrook Farm | Wappinger, NY | meadowbrookfarmmarket.com
Why crop up here: A giant orchard near also near the FDR estate and Vanderbilt Mansion, the giant orchard. Feed the goats and chickens, pick pumpkins, and munch on cider doughnuts at the picnic tables.
The Apples: Cortlands, McIntosh, Empires, Red & Golden Delicious
When to chew: Saturday and Sunday, 9:00a.m.-6:00p.m.
How to get there: Take Metro North to New Hamburg. Call 845.297.8294 for A-1 taxi and ride less than 10 minutes.
Photo: Jeff Kubina
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
This is fantastic timing. I have been living in Los Angeles for many years and finally moved back to NY just recently. One (of many) things I missed in LA was fresh crunchy apples. Years ago I would travel to Vermont or Massachusetts to find great orchards; now I have a handful close to home. Many thanks.
Time is wrong for getting to Fishkill Farms. I called the farm and it is a 20 – 30 minute cab drive; also Google Maps has it as a 20 minute ride.
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Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
One of the great joys of my youth was apple picking early in the morning and chomping on macs before I got back to civilization. I will do this in the fall. Thank you for lighting the fire.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
One of the great joys of my youth was apple picking early in the morning and chomping on macs before I got back to civilization. I will do this in the fall. Thank you for lighting the fire.
If paying almost $25.00 for a bag of apples and having a mandatory search of your car before you are allowed to leave is your thing, then Maskers Orchard in Warwick NY is for you! – Did I forget to mention that the employees and manager are extremely rude and will threaten call the police on you if you object in any way to having their teenage employees search your car? Everyone gets their car searched on the way out, no exceptions! – that’s their policy.A waste of gas and time to visit this place.
We went to Masker’s this weekend and had the most horrible time ever! The place was packed, everything was overpriced and people were throwing apples at each other over cars and the employees were downright RUDE to top it off. The other posters that said they inappropriately search your car is spot on, they are like the TSA of apple orchards. Don’t even try to ask for the manager or refuse to be searched, he’ll just threaten you and stick his finger in your face. I would NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE!!!
Sorry you had a bad time at Maskers, jerseygirl, but this article and our website is all about car-free travel. Might enjoy your next adventure by leaving the car at home.
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jerseygirl is right what a waste
mandatory search for what? are they hiding something from the world? or its a Gold mine that people might steal something? LoL….
That was NOT our experience when we visited. Had a great time. Apple prices were good – especially for getting to pick our own and choose only the best apples! Loved their little store with apple cutters & other kitchen tools. Sounds like people were stealing bags & bags of apples from Maskers and they felt the need to protect themselves from theft. Apples may not be gold, but it is their bread & butter crop. As an honest person, I would not object to that kind of car check. Goodness, we visit West Point every year for the concerts and before you can go in, they search the car and even inspect under the car with mirrors!
I went last Fall. No search.
Thanks for this list. We went to Fishkill Farm (liked the eco-conscious spin) and had a great time, picking apples and pumpkins from an actual pumpkin patch! The only caveat is be prepared to spend a fair amount of money. As a family of three we spent close to $35 for our round trip tickets on the Metro North, and we spent an additional $50 for the two taxi rides (it was $25 dollars from the Beacon station to farm and another $25 back). Also, we had to call the cabbie in advance when ready to head out (I called about 50 minutes prior to the train’s departure time). The apples and pumpkin were the least expensive part. Sadly, there were no veggie burgers this past Sat. but the live bad was fun to watch and dance to with the kids.
*band
A more economical way to go apple picking via Metro-North is to sign up for Dutchess County Tourism’s Farm Fresh Tours, where a shuttle bus will pick you up from the train and take you on several stops including visits to wineries and artisanal dairy farms. This way, you don’t have to worry about taking a cab to/from the orchard, as the shuttle bus will bring you back.
Fishkill Farms participates in the Farm Fresh Tours.
Great tip! Thanks Melissa. We love the Farm Fresh Tours. Wish they would keep running after October 19!
Me, too!
I recently found out that there’s something in the works for year-round programming! No specifics yet, but things are brewing.
Exciting! Thanks for keeping us posted!
OMG went to Outhouse Orchards today and it was so crowded. Like being on a subway. Ridiculously long lines to get any food. $25.00 a bag to pick apples and then marching up a hill with hundreds of other people. Could not wait to get back to the open spaces and cheap, accessible food of New York City. The Big Apple!
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[…] “Get Picky” […]
[…] Ok ok ok, moving on to the fuuuuun! October is by far my favorite month of the year and Halloween is like my Christmas, so there’s definitely lots of fun to be had these next few weeks. As I mentioned previously, this weekend will be filled with a whole lot of food, drank and childhood-fun. However when I get back I am super excited to get out of BK and explore some orchards for apple picking. After a few google searches I came across a site called offMetro which was very helpful in finding orchards only a train ride away from the city. *I looked up the possibility of a rental car and the prices were not pretty* I’ve been scoping out one place in particular in North Salem, NY that is known for its Apple Cider Doughnuts..might be a no brainer. {Fellow New Yorkers can also check those places out here} […]
Thank you for compiling this useful list! I am glad you did NOT include “Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard” in North Salem, New York on it though, because some other articles (on orchards accessible via public transport from NYC) do include it on their’s. I feel compelled to share my thoughts on “Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard” here as warning to other families. I have visited this so-called “farm” twice in the past 3 years—the experience over the weekend (Oct. 28th, 2017) felt like being robbed by straight-faced high way bandits. One would think that just because one owns a nice farm near New York City and is included on various lists on metro apple orchards doesn’t mean one has to bleed folks dry (and do so with such blatant disregard). I overheard a young child say that the place wasn’t a farm but an amusement park. At around 5:30 pm when the “Moon-Harvest-upon-Times-Square” had closed, I knocked on the shop’s door as we were waiting for our ride and I had left my beverage in there. An employee was kind enough to let me in but when I couldn’t find my beverage inside the store, a sweet elderly man offered me a hot drink. It was then that a tall young woman scolded him in front of dozens of people for giving away “free things” to people. I was disgusted by the woman’s treatment of her colleague. This elderly employee had been on his feet serving all day, making top $$$ for the owners, and that was the treatment he got from what seemed (to me) a member of the owners’ family. My family and I will NOT be returning! There are plenty of caring decent family-owned orchards near the city one can visit.
We used your directions to get to Masker’s, and it led us on a much longer trip than expected. We planned to get off at Willowbrook, as you said, but the bus driver said that was inaccurate and we had to stay on until Warwick on the last stop. The way it’s written makes it confusing – it should be written the bus from port authority on the Willowbrook route to get off at Warwick. It went from a 30 minute bus ride to a 2 hour one. Everyone beware – travel with caution with her directions!
Elisa, sorry to hear about the confusion. Yes, the bus is via Willowbrook to Warwick where the orchard is. We updated the directions to explicitly state that. Thank you for taking the time to share.