At upstate Indian Ladder Farms, once kids tire of berry-picking they can commune with goats at the petting zoo. (Hailey Eber)
Farm-stand workers at Patty’s are berry glad to meet you, offering just-picked fruits and refreshing, fresh-squeezed lemonade. (Christian Johnston)
Dylan Chait, 6 (left), and 8-year-old brother Ryan show off their strawberry haul. Shortcake? Who needs any of that, Mom? (Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post)
Daniel Biner looks satisfied with the fruits of his labors, but if the fresh cherries at Samascott Orchards don’t do the trick for you, go right for the hard stuff: home-made ice cream, including orange and pistachio. (Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post)
Battleview Orchards
91 Wemrock Road, Freehold, NJ; 732-462-0756
Scene: With seemingly never-ending rows of beautiful peach and cherry trees, the 120-acre Battleview Orchards is at once sprawling and cozy. Locals bring their children here, and many seem to know each other, making for a nice feeling of community. Freehold resident Julia Kushnir, visiting with her 8- and 12-year-old sons, Daniel and Michael, says it’s “a combination of the quality of the food, the beauty of the farm, and keeping the kids busy in nature” that has kept her coming back to pick every few weeks since she moved to the area in 2002.
The pickings: They’ll have sour cherries ($3.25 per pound) through the weekend, with yellow and white peaches and nectarines (all $1.30 per pound) to follow.
Other delights: Stop at the Country Store for fresh pies ($10.99 to $13.99) and its famous apple-cider doughnuts ($3.46 for six), which deserve the acclaim. Sweet summer corn on the cob is available in the store from mid-July through early September.
Info: An easy 50-minute drive down the New Jersey Turnpike from Manhattan. Bags and buckets are provided free of charge; cash only; battlevieworchards.com
Indian Ladder Farm
342 Altamont Voorheesville Road, Altamont; 518-765-2956
Scene: With a shingled, green-doored barn, hand-painted signs directing you to the various berries, and stunning mountain views, this 300-acre farm is about as idyllic as they come. What it lacks in variety of crops, it makes up for with a beautiful picnic area, nature trails and a petting farm with adorable goats and a bubble-gum machine filled with corn kernels to feed them.
The pickings: Currently blueberries ($2.50 per pound) and raspberries ($4.75 per pound); tomatoes in August and apples and pumpkins in the fall.
Other delights: The farm’s quaint cafe showcases local ingredients in its gourmet sandwiches ($7.95 to $9.95) and berry and apple desserts ($4.95 to $5.95). A massive gift shop sells foodstuff, retro toys and souvenirs.
Info: A 3-hour drive from the city; indianladderfarms.com
Patty’s Berries & Bunches
410 Sound Ave., Mattituck, NY; 631-298-4679
Scene: A group of pretty young things greet you as you walk up to the farm stand, a stone’s throw from the road. It’s a no-frills experience, but owner Patty DiVello, 54, knows her berries — she should, she’s been in the business of growing them for more than two decades. Twenty acres of fruit allow for lush, bountiful berries when the picking is ripe.
Call ahead, and she and her employees are happy to be upfront about how good the crop really is.
“It’s fun, and the kids have a good time,” says Jessica Meth, 38, of Larchmont, NY, who returned for a second visit with her family last Saturday. But she leaves the baking to the pros.
“We pretty much just eat the berries,” she says. “We did attempt to make jelly last time, but it didn’t smell so good, so we might not try that again.”
The pickings: Currently blueberries ($5 per person to pick and fill one provided pint container) and raspberries are available later in July ($5), and blackberries in August (also $5).
Other delights: The farm stand offers all kinds of goodies, including local “Jeannie’s Treats” baked goods using Patty’s berries, such as peach and mixed-berry macaroons ($2.50). Patty’s flower bunches, including sunflowers and peonies ($10 a bunch), are a hit. And the sweet-and-sour, fresh-squeezed strawberry lemonade ($2.75) packs a refreshing punch.
Info: A two-hour drive from the city, on Long Island’s North Fork; pattysberriesandbunches.com.
Love Apple Farm
1421 State Route 9H, Ghent, NY; 518-828-5048
Scene: This picturesque 8-acre family farm has a variety of fruits for the picking on gently rolling hills. Visitors park their cars at the front of the farm and walk between the various crops.
Local families who have been visiting for years praise the well-labeled grounds. “It’s very well organized,” says Pamela Chait, 41, who lives in nearby Claverack and recently hit the farm to pick strawberries with her two sons, Dylan, 6, and Ryan, 8. “They keep it well-groomed” and the playground is “very nice” and “unique.”
The pickings: Currently red and black raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants and sweet, sour and Rainier cherries (each $4 per pound). Next week they’ll have white peaches, with yellow peaches and apricots soon to follow.
Other delights: The farm’s market hawks delicious fruit pies from local baker Leticia Martinez. A native of Oaxaca, Mexico, she also operates a small, reasonably priced Mexican restaurant, Cocina de Leticia, on-site, serving refreshing gazpacho ($3), authentic tamales ($3.50) and tacos ($3). Since buying the farm last year, Don Golden has moved the petting zoo, which features goats and a llama named Morgan, to the back, and is sprucing it up a bit. He plans to bring in pony rides later in the season.
Info: A 2½-hour drive from the city; loveapplefarm.com
Samascott Orchards
5 Sunset Ave., Kinderhook, NY; 518-758-7224
Scene: With drive-up lanes to pay for your fruit on your way out — along with car inspections to prevent fruit theft — this massive, 210-acre farm isn’t exactly cozy and cute, but the fruit is plentiful, noticeably sweet and well-priced. Visitors, armed with a map and a list of available crops for picking (pick anything not on the list and you’ll be charged $10 per pound), drive around the pancake-flat fields, parking wherever they want to stop and pick. “We’ve always had pretty good luck here,” says Mike Linkous, 34, who lives in Albany and was at the orchard recently picking berries with his girlfriend. Just down the road, the quaint main drag of Kinderhook makes up for the charms the orchard lacks.
The pickings: Currently strawberries, blueberries, sweet and sour cherries (each $2 per pound), black raspberries ($5 per pound), peas and rhubarb (each $1.25 per pound). Blueberries, red raspberries, plums and more to come later in the season. Veggies are also available.
Other delights: A small farm stand on-site has some produce and jams for sale, as well as homemade ice cream ($2.78 for a single scoop), which tastes amazing after a hot day out in the fields.
Info: A 2½-hour drive from the city; $5 minimum per person, baskets available for 25 cents; samascott.com