Pick Your Own Apples Upstate NY -- Hudson Valley Orchards Guide

Hurds Family Farm. Photo via Facebook

For those of you not partial to New York’s balmy summer, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief and break out your knit scarves. Fall is officially here. That also means the pick-your-own orchards in the Hudson Valley are bursting with late summer/fall produce like apples, raspberries, corn, tomatoes and eggplant, not to mention gourds aplenty, ready to be picked by…well, yourself. That’s sort of the whole point.

Most pick-your-own orchards offer lots of kid-friendly activities in addition to produce picking — which, let’s face it, feels a whole lot like work to an 8-year-old — such as petting zoos, corn mazes, hayrides and, of course, eating way too many apple cider doughnuts.

Here are our picks (see what we did there?) for pick-your-own orchards in the Hudson Valley.

Pick Your Own Apples Upstate NY -- Hudson Valley Orchards Guide

Hurds Family Farm. Photo via hurdsfamilyfarm.com

Hurds Family Farm, Modena, Ulster County: Hurds Farm is definitely the type of orchard the kids will enjoy. With a corn maze, hay ride, gem mining and other types of “agritainment” (their word, not ours), a visit to Hurds should be a fun family-friendly day.

Admission to the farm and parking there is free. $15 gets the kids hay rides, the corn maze, a visit to the petting zoo and more. During the week it’s $8. Apples are priced by the peck and pumpkins by the pound.

How to Get There From Brooklyn: Hurds Farm is a little over two hours from Brooklyn, about 10 minutes south of New Paltz village in Ulster County. Driving is highly recommended, but Trailways, Wanderu and Greyhound buses all offer service to New Paltz, where you can get a cab to Hurds Farm. Additionally, it’s worth investigating the Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT), which has a route from New Paltz to Modena. You can also take the Amtrak or Metro-North to Poughkeepsie and get a cab to Hurds Farm, which is just over a 20-minute ride.

Pick Your Own Apples Upstate NY -- Hudson Valley Orchards Guide

Greig Farm. Photo by Kandy Harris

Greig Farm, Red Hook, Dutchess County: There are not many bells and whistles at Greig Farm just outside of Red Hook village in Dutchess County. Instead, you’ll find a bumper crop of apples and raspberries in September, and even more apples and pumpkins in October.

The farm is also home to the Hudson Valley Farmers Market, which takes place every Saturday year-round from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stock up on seasonal produce, cheese, meats, eggs, wines and baked goods. Consider Greig Farm the foodie’s choice for pick-your-owns.

How to Get There From Brooklyn: Greig Farm is located Located about two-and-a-half hours from Brooklyn. For driving, you can take the NYS Thruway to Kingston exit 19, cross the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, follow Route 9G north to Route 199, and then take Route 9 to the farm. Or, you could hop on the Amtrak to the Rhinecliff train station and cab it approximately 20 minutes to the farm. Greyhound offers service to the village of Rhinebeck from Brooklyn, but it will cost you a pretty penny and you’ll still have to cab it from Rhinebeck to Grieg Farm. Additionally, the Dutchess County LOOP bus service stops in Tivoli, which is about 10 minutes from the farm.

Pick Your Own Apples Upstate NY -- Hudson Valley Orchards Guide

Weed Orchard and Winery. Photo via thewineryatweedorchards.com

Weed Orchard and Winery, Marlboro, Ulster County: Grown-up people, this pick-your-own is for you. Weed Orchard not only offers a big selection of pick-your-own produce (peaches, apples, peppers, squash and zucchini are in season right now), it also has its own winery on premises and offers tastings of wine, cider and beer in its new tasting room. According to their website, they should be offering their own wine made from their vineyard grapes starting this fall.

Weed Orchard also has a menu with appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers and pizzas, perfect for lining the stomach after sampling the tasting menu. The orchard is open every day and picking hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

How to Get There From Brooklyn: Located approximately two hours from Brooklyn, Weed Orchards is in southern Ulster County, not far from Newburgh. It’s worth driving if you have a car so you can hit some of the other wineries and orchards nearby, including Brenmarl Winery and Prospect Hill Orchard. Otherwise, you can take the Shortline Bus from Port Authority to Newburgh, where you can cab it to the orchard. You can also take the train to Poughkeepsie and from there, take the UCAT bus to Marlboro hamlet. From there, take a five-minute cab ride to Weed.

Pick Your Own Apples Upstate NY -- Hudson Valley Orchards Guide

Goats at DuBois Farms. Photo via duboisfarms.com

DuBois Farms, Highland, Ulster County: Apples, grapes, pears, pumpkins and gourds are on the picking schedule for DuBois Farms in Highland. Once you’ve picked your produce, you can grab some apple cider donuts from the bakery, enjoy lunch in the cafe, and let the kids take a pony ride or explore Tiny Town, DuBois Farms’ children’s park. The farm is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day until November 1.

How to Get There from Brooklyn: DuBois is probably the easiest of these to reach without a car. Not that we advise bringing bushels and bags of apples onto the Metro-North, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone has tried it. Still, you can cab it from the Poughkeepsie station across the Mid-Hudson Bridge and onto DuBois, which takes about 15 minutes. If you’re driving, it will take you about two-and-a-half hours from Brooklyn.

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Hudson Valley Pick-Your-Own Orchards

121 Orlich Road, Red Hook: $235,000

If rural farm countryside is what you’re after, you’ll find it surrounding this Foursquare located east of Red Hook village. We love the exterior color and the stone supports of this circa-1920 Sears/Aladdin kit home, and the interior looks fit with Craftsman-style woodwork, living room wood stove, dining room and walkup attic. Beds: 3. Baths: 1. Square Feet: 1,783. Lot Size: 1.5 acres. Est. Taxes: $9,634. 121 Orlich Road, Red Hook [Paul Hallenbeck Real Estate] GMAP.

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16 Nepale Drive, New Paltz: $349,900

We consider this New Paltz country farmhouse a find. Relatively modestly priced, it sits among a cluster of orchards, farms and farm stands around the New Paltz area, including Hurds Family Farm just a few minutes away. Lots of space here, with a kitchen brick fireplace, cathedral ceilings, and a spa bath with hot tub and stone walls. Includes a separate workshop and auxiliary wood-burning stove in case the Apocalypse comes early this year. Beds: 3. Baths: 2. Square Feet: 2,280. Lot Size: 3 acres. Est. Taxes: $11,770. 16 Nepale Drive, New Paltz [Century 21] GMAP.

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