Hours

taproom

3-8 Thursday, September 3

3-8 Friday, September 4

12-6 Saturday, September 5

12-6 Sunday, September 5

12-5 Monday, September 7

Farm stand / PYO

3-7 Friday, September 4

9-5 Saturday, September 5

9-5 Sunday, September 6

9-5 Monday, September 7

*Please refer to Events Calendar or Google listings (Farm / Cidery) for private event closures or special holiday openings which may occasionally affect these hours.

What’s Pickin’?

Beginning this Friday, September 4, we will have THREE varieties of apples available for pick-your-own!

Fulford Gala: The most widely planted variety across the globe. This is a solid blushed strain of Gala that was noticed in New Zealand by W. Fulford in 1983. Most Gala strains are identified by their stripes, while this one has a pretty, bold, and solid blush. This strain in particular is exceptionally beautiful—red with lovely lenticels. A true sweet apple. A friend of mine calls them "monotonal", and for those that love a properly sweet apple, this is a nice and simple pleasure. Great for fresh eating and dessert making. This variety is located in the Pump Pond Block (near the dumpsters) and can be found on the westernmost row. 

Jonamac: Introduced in 1944 at the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station. A cross between Jonathan and McIntosh. Acidic and slightly tart now, and in the next couple of weeks as the fruit hangs, they develop some sweetness and more balanced flavor. It turns out, these trees are some of the oldest on the farm here, planted in 1978 and 1979. For this week, look for the darkest fruits as they will be the ripest and have the fullest flavor. This variety is located up the main orchard road, Center Hill Block, on the righthand side of the road. There are four rows, situated between the Empire.

Honeycrisp: The legend itself is back! The highly sought-after Honeycrisp was released in 1991 by the University of Minnesota. Most people rave and rave about this apple. Some despise it. Let them do whatever they are going to do. This is a beautiful apple with mostly red streaking over a greenish background. The patterns and designs on the skin are quite incredible. It is pretty singular in its sweet crunchiness—a one trick pony, so to speak. The texture is rather rare in that the cells of the flesh are large and break away very cleanly, allowing the sweet juice to almost explode in one's mouth. The fruits that are currently mostly green will be better in the coming days as they mature and color up more. This variety is also located up the main orchard road on the righthand side after the Empire and Early Fuji. There are four rows that extend all the way to the Pines. 

We will have all three of these varieties available pre-picked at the farm stand.

We will also have the following varieties available pre-picked at the farm stand in limited quantities:

Ginger Gold: A seedling apple variety that appeared in the orchard of Clyde and Ginger Harvey in Nelson County, Virginia in 1980. It is a medium to large apple (there are some real whoppers hanging out there now!), round to oblate, with green to yellow colored skin. When the skin turns yellowish, it is ripe, crisp, and juicy with a pleasantly sweet flavor. The cream-colored flesh is slow to oxidize making it great for salads and desserts as it holds its shape when cooked.

Kerr: A truly special fruit. This variety was created by crossing Dolgo and Haralson done by W.L. Kerr at the Canada Experimental Farm in Manitoba and was introduced in 1952. Striking garnet red turning to deep purple skin, small, roughly 1-1.5 inches in diameter. A very condensed and robust flavor—sweet, tart, and heavy on the rose flavor. Great for eating if you are into a little more complex and intense flavors. Makes phenomenal jams/jellies. 

Chestnut Crab: (Melba x open-pollinated). This gem of a fruit was released by the University of Minnesota in 1946. Larger than your typical crab apple, averaging 1.5-2 inches in diameter. Mostly sweet, with well-balanced acidity, and a unique nutty vanilla flavor. Great for fresh eating, sauce, and pickles. As the kids are going back to school, include these in their lunch boxes and make your kid the envy of the lunchroom. 

Paula Red: The apple that stole my heart and brought me into the game. Some call it a mediocre apple—they may be right, but who’s to say really? For late-August this apple really shines. Discovered in 1960 in Sparta, Michigan, and introduced in 1967. White flesh, firm, crisp, juicy, and nice subacid flavor. Eats similar to a McIntosh.

Chenango Strawberry: Known since 1850, there are two origin stories—one that says this apple originated in Lebanon, Madison County, New York. The other says that it originated in Connecticut and was brought to Chenango County, NY. Either way, this is a really beautiful, aromatic, and deliciously sweet apple. The distinctive conic shape, the pale green/yellow skin that has a pink/red striped blush on it, and the mild sweetness really set this apple apart. It also makes incredible applesauce. 

We will have limited quantities of pre-picked Stanley plums available at the farm stand. This plum originated at the New York State Agricultural Experient Station in Geneva, was developed by Richard Wellington, and introduced in 1926. A beautiful blue/purple skinned fruit with sweet yellow flesh. This multi-use fruit is another prime candidate for fresh eating, canning, baking, and drying to make prunes. I made quite a few prunes for the Winter and come February they did not disappoint. Perfect for snacking, with yogurt and oatmeal, goes well with applesauce, can be put in granola. Really the options are limitless. 

We will have EXTREMELY limited quantities of pre-picked yellow fleshed globe peaches at various points over the weekend.

The best place for pick-your-own sunflower harvesting this week will be in the Mid Pump Pond Block, which is found just to the west of the Fulford Gala row in the Pump Pond Block. There are also still plenty of ZINNIAS for the harvest.

Blueberry harvest is winding down, but there are still plenty of blueberries for the pick-your-own harvest! We will have Elliott blueberries available for picking.

Join us in the taproom Thursday through Sunday for locally-crafted drinks and food pop-ups. Keep an eye on our events calendar for upcoming live music, featured ferments (tastings by other NYS makers), classes, festivals, ticketed dinners, and more. See you soon!

Browse our Food Vendor and Events Calendar.

See Rajiv Surendra’s recent visit to the farm for HGTV Handmade!

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Find Out More:

Address:  14 Rose Hill Farm, Red Hook, NY 12571

Conveniently accessible from I-87 and the TSP yet peacefully tucked away off the beaten track.

Directions from NYC: Take Taconic State Parkway N to exit 67 (toward Pine Plains/Red Hook). Turn left at NY-199 W. Enter Village of Red Hook, NY-199 becomes Market St. Turn right onto Route 9. Turn right at Fraleigh Lane. Make left into Rose Hill Farm.