As I’m writing this post, Summer is a couple weeks away, but nature has been busy. The plants have been budding the bees have been buzzing, have you stopped to notice? If you feel it’s time to slow down a little and reconnect with nature I have a great suggestion for you and your family. Take a day trip to Newburgh, NY and visit Lawrence Farms Orchard.
Lawrence Farms is a 5th generation family owned and operated pick your own farm. The farm began in 1892 when the Great-Grandfather came over from England and started a dairy farm. The pick your own thing came about almost by mistake. The neighbors would come over to buy milk and would notice the strawberry patch and would ask, “Do you mind if we pick a few?” Slowly it grew and by the 1960’s the Lawrence’s had bought more land and planted the 150 acre orchard that stands today. Owner Rick and his wife Jane Lawrence are amazing hosts and love the families that come back year after year, it gives you a sense of community. It’s not only apples that one can pick but a whole array of fruits and vegetables. Right now strawberries are ripe and ready for picking.
The farm is a great place to take children, and there are plenty of things to keep them engaged. Rick Lawrence and his son Kevin built a child sized New England style village that the children can play in and a hay bale maze in the barn. There’s goats and other farm animals that the kids can feed and hayrides during apple picking season. For refreshments there’s a farm store with baked goods, including delicious apple cider donuts and ice cream. You can bring a picnic and eat on one of the many tables available. The farm also accommodates schools and groups of all sizes. There is a charge of $3 per person for everyone over 2 years old to pick your own. This had caused a lot of the old regular customers to complain, but I can understand the charge, as I have witnessed people stealing apples by sneaking them under their strollers or parents allowing kids to climb in the apple trees and watching branches break. Once a branch is broken it takes a long time for that tree to recover and for that new branch to begin making apples. If you plan on visiting the farm more than once buying a season pass for $10 per person is the way to go and you’ll also receive a 10% discount on your purchases.
Soon lettuce and other greens will be available along with peas and zucchini. One of my favorite things to pick there are the grapes, they have a few varieties like Concord and Niagara and another that came from the Cornell Co-op that is simply called table grapes but they are my favorite! I’d like to list everything they offer in the pick your own category but the list would be extensive. They have around thirty varieties of apples alone! So it’s best if you go to their website and get on their mailing list so you can keep abreast of whats available and in season. http://lawrencefarmsorchards.org/
I hope that in your modern daily life’s that you take a little time and spend it in nature. The Japanese have a word for it and its called Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing. It’s been proven that getting out in nature especially amongst trees lowers your stress hormone cortisol, which is something we all could use. It’s also good for children to see how food is grown and where it comes from. Knowing that it doesn’t just appear on grocery store shelves can help make them aware of the importance of our farms and protecting our natural resources. Also remember that you get to bring home the food you picked and make something amazing and yummy to feed your family. I’m sure I’ll be posting a few recipes as the season progresses.
As always if you have any comments or questions please feel free to place them in the box below and I’ll reply as soon as I can. Until next time Boone Appétit!
