ANYONE with a Web browser and a rental car can take the family apple-picking. The trick is making the experience an autumn joyride rather than a long fall into despair.
Picking is at its peak right about now, but the harvest lasts well into October. Here’s how to have bushels of fun just outside the city – without barking up the wrong tree:
Dress the part: Apples grow in orchards, which are outdoors. That typically means hills, dirt roads, tall grass and soil that can ruin a pair of high heels faster than you can say “Manolo Blahnik.” It can also mean poison ivy and soaking rain. So think sensible shoes and long pants, and maybe even jackets and caps, for adults and kids alike.
“No bare feet. And probably not sandals,” says Delores McGloin, who works at Applewood Orchards near Warwick, NY. “It’s mowed here, but we have some stickery things.”
Bugaboo be gone: Pushing a stroller across rugged terrain is tough – and hoisting one up onto a hay-wagon can be harder than hauling it down to a subway. Wise parents leave the small wheels in the city. It’s easier to carry the small apple-pickers on your back.
Bug off: Blood-sucking ticks can lurk in tall grass, while stinging yellow jackets are attracted to juices found near cider presses and rotting apples. Keep alert to avoid unwelcome souvenirs.
Insect repellent will (duh!) repel most insects. Parents of sting-sensitive kids should pack antihistamines or other medications, and all bare-legged kids wandering among weeds should be checked for ticks (which look like black dots no larger than a pinhead).
Pack a picnic: Apples, cider, pie and doughnuts can give small children a Halloween-size sugar rush. Many orchards sell hot dogs and burgers, but lines can be long and quality varies.
The good news: Most orchards are happy to let you bring your own food and spread out a blanket. “We’ve even had people string hammocks between the trees,” says Joan Reichenbach, of Warwick’s Masker Orchards.
Don’t expect a bargain: “U-pick” doesn’t necessarily mean “wholesale.” Orchards are often a destination for city visitors, and growers know you’re unlikely to turn around simply because the price seems steep.
Expect to pay about $25 per half-bushel bag, or roughly $1 a pound. At least the fruit is fresh – and so is the air.
“You’re not only getting the apples,” Reichenbach notes. “You’re getting a beautiful day in the country.”
Shop your crop: Apple varieties ripen at different times. Ginger golds are pretty much picked out by now, while red delicious won’t come ripe until October.
High-demand varieties such as galas and honeycrisps are often sold only at farm stands so that amateur pickers won’t hurt delicate trees. In a few areas, spring frosts seriously damaged late-ripening varieties, particularly fujis, crispins and Granny Smiths.
Check orchard Web sites to see what’s ripe and ready for picking. Most apple growers in the New York area are seeing a good crop this fall, which means apples are big and most trees are loaded.
It’s not just apples: The best orchards offer more than low-hanging fruit. When the picking’s done, you’re likely to find petting zoos, pony rides, pumpkin patches and other kid-friendly enticements to make you stay and spend some more cash.
Then again, it is the apples – and there’s nothing like the taste and snap of one just off the tree.
“You can’t get any fresher than that,” says Tannwen Mount, manager of Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. “The flavors are stronger and more crunchy. No waxes or preservatives. More apple-y flavor, for sure.”
Our picks for kid-friendly orchards:
* Terhune Orchards, Princeton, NJ 609-924-2310, terhuneorchards.com
* Pennings Orchards, Warwick, NY 845-986-7080, penningsorchard.com
* Masker Orchards, Warwick 845-986-1058, maskers.com
* Applewood Orchards, Warwick 845-986-1684, applewoodorchards.com
* Demarest Farm, Hillsdale, NJ 201-666-0472, demarestfarms.com
For more orchards, go to nyapplecountry.com.