These photos were taken before the stay-home orders were issued
One of my favorite fall traditions is going “apple-picking,” which for me is mostly about visiting country stores and buying apple fritters and other fruity comfort foods. While I have made no fruit-picking plans this year, I thought I’d share five of my favorite orchards in CT, for those looking to revenge travel next fall.
All five orchards mentioned below are “Pick-Your-Own” farms.
Lyman Orchards (Middlefield, CT)
Lyman Orchards is one of the oldest operating orchards in the state and used to be one of my old haunts. I’d meet up with friends there every few weeks, walk around the orchard, buy bags of kettlecorn and dozens of donuts to bring home and feast on in the weeks between visits. Their bakery makes some of the best cider donuts in CT.
The Old Cider Mill (Glastonbury, CT)
I can’t speak to the fruit picking experience at The Old Cider Mill (because I go for the fritters and the animals), but they have an adorable fritter truck (which sells cider and fresh fritter “holes”) and a petting zoo, which are all the attractions I need.
Blue Jay Orchards (Bethel, CT)
It gets rather crowded at Blue Jay Orchards during the fall, as it’s popular among families with small children… but if you don’t mind big crowds (in a post-pandemic world), BJC has an excellent country store, stocked with excellent cider and cider donuts.
Dondero Orchards (South Glastonbury, CT)
Dondero Orchards is a homier operation, compared to giants like Lyman (Middlefield) and Rogers (Southington), but it’s one of my favorites for apple picking as it doesn’t get super crowded on the weekends. The fritters for sale are crispy nuggets that are so satisfying (only downside: there are no bits of apples to be found) and fresh. And their farm stand/bakery is also amazing: I always go home with a few jars of sweet peaches and a pie or two.
Silverman’s Farm (Easton, CT)
I don’t really visit Silverman’s Farm for the pick-your-own apple experience, but for their animal farm, which is one of the largest in the area. The featured critters range from bunnies to emus. This place gets super crowded because of its many attractions (tractor rides, country store, fruit picking, aforementioned animal farm, etc.), so I wouldn’t recommend going there until after we better figure out COVID-19.
For those in the market for a knit poncho, here are some available options (I couldn’t find any that look exactly like the Zara one, from a few seasons ago, featured above):
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Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone!
