This past weekend we were blessed to have amazing 75 degree weather and the beautiful colors of Fall at the same time! My mother, who used to be my real estate partner at Coldwell Banker Mendham, was up for a visit from her home in Willmington, North Carolina and my youngest son Casey was home for a visit from Stonehill college so we decided this would be the perfect time for apple picking. Based on the amount of traffic on Route 24 and Route 206, a huge number of people also had the same idea! Our first stop was the Hacklebarney Cider Mill where we watched them press the cider. We didn't wait in the long line for donuts (an annual tradition for many we spoke to) but did purchase some delicious apple cider to take with us. You can't pick your own apples there, so we headed over to Stonyhill Gardens. (We often go to Alstede Farm - Kurt Alstede was kind enough to take in a noisy rooster we once owned - but the line was extra long this weekend due to pumpkin picking and hayrides.) Stonyhill had so many varieties of apples to choose from that we ended up with 2 huge baskets! We were happy to find they also had lots of fresh vegetables ready for picking including broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. That night we made a delicious apple crumb pie with the empire apples.
Here is a list of nearby farms to visit at the most beautiful time of year:
Alstede Farms
84 Route 513 S. (Old Route 24W), Chester
908/879-7189; alstedefarms.com
Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill
104 State Park Rd., Chester
908/879-6593; njcidermill.com
Hillview Farms
223 Meyersville Rd., Gillette
908/647-0957; hillviewfarmsnj.com
Riamede Farm
122 Oakdale Rd., Chester; 908/879-5353
Stony Hill Gardens
8 Route 24, Chester
908/879-2696; stonyhillgardens.com
Sun High Orchards
19 Canfield Ave., Randolph
973/584-4734; sunhigh.com
Wightman’s Farms
Route 202, Morristown
973/425-9819; wightmansfarms.com
~Diane Tolley
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