A day at the orchard

Autumn is the season to travel through the countryside in upstate New York and witness how nature resonates with the crackling contrast of golden leaves, set against the backdrop of sombre grey sentinel peaks. It is also the time of the year when we can pick the season’s harvest, fresh fruits and vegetables, at orchards and farms.

Orchards have increasingly become autumn destinations for the American family, offering wholesome seasonal fun – hayrides, pony rides, straw mazes, live music, spirit tasting and much more. It’s also a throwback to a simpler time when people weren’t so disconnected from nature. A visit to an orchard, therefore, has become an autumn ritual for us. The orchards that we frequent are within an hour’s drive from our home in Suffern.

The first Sunday of autumn was a postcard-perfect day for fruit-picking – bright sunshine, comfortable temperature and gentle breeze. We went to our favourite, the Dubois Farm in Highland, 50 miles (80.5 km) north of our hometown. It’s a family owned, high volume pick-your-own orchard, attracting pickers from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City and its suburbs.

Dubois has everything one can ask for – apples, pears, plums, peaches, nectarines and grapes. Besides fruits, the farm has a vast assortment of vegetables, including a healthy selection of pumpkins and fresh bouquet of zinnias. There’s a play village for the kids and a petting zoo where they can feed the animals. Picnic areas are scattered all over the property. Wagons pulled by tractors can be seen hauling families up the slopes, and then back to the large store, where hot dogs, hamburgers, pumpkins, homemade jams, pickles, honey, ciders, pies and my favourite apple-cider donuts are sold. The prices are very reasonable.

To make picking seamless, all the aisles are marked with the variety of fruits that are ready for picking. In addition, friendly farm hands are everywhere explaining what is available and where they are. Although most of the fruits are in the lower sub-branches called spurs that are within our arms reach, poles with a small basket at one end and stepladders are available to reach the higher branches.

There are some dos and don’ts at the orchard. Pick fruits to your hearts content. Don’t climb the trees. The branches cannot support our weight. Don’t pick up fruits that are on the ground. It’s against the law. However, if we drop one, we have to buy it. Also, while picking, we can’t make fruits our lunch. As for the grapes, we can taste only one from a bunch.

During our stay, we picked apples after apples – Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, McIntosh and Empire State, as well as Bosc pears and delectable grapes – Concord and Niagara – in the vineyard. The grapes are seeded with a slip-skin, meaning that the skin can be easily separated from the flesh. The delightful aroma of the grapes, still in the vines and ripened to perfection, wafts through the air all the way to the entrance of the orchard.

We left the orchard with a surfeit of apples, pears and grapes. When we were back home, we lost track of the different varieties of apples since they were all in a single bag. If you thought comparing apples to oranges is a fruitless endeavor, try comparing apples to apples.

Needless to say, an orchard is a great place to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. So, wherever you are, go to an orchard, breathe the fresh country air, load up on some delicious fruits, have a cup or two of warm apple cider, ride a wagon, navigate a rustling maze, all while soaking up some beautiful autumn sunshine. And do it all before global warming wreaks havoc on the seasons. When that happens, civilisation will persist, but autumn colours may not and orchards may become a thing of the past.

The writer is a Professor of Physics at Fordham University.

Photos: Mahjabeen Haider and writer.

A day at the orchard

Autumn is the season to travel through the countryside in upstate New York and witness how nature resonates with the crackling contrast of golden leaves, set against the backdrop of sombre grey sentinel peaks. It is also the time of the year when we can pick the seasons harvest, fresh fruits and vegetables, at orchards and farms. Orchards have increasingly become autumn destinations for the American family, offering wholesome seasonal fun hayrides, pony rides, straw mazes, live music, spirit tasting and much more. Its also a throwback to a simpler time when people werent so disconnected from nature. A visit to an orchard, therefore, has become an autumn ritual for us. The orchards that we frequent are within an hours drive from our home in Suffern. The first Sunday of autumn was a postcard-perfect day for fruit-picking bright sunshine, comfortable temperature and gentle breeze. We went to our favourite, the Dubois Farm in Highland, 50 miles (80.5 km) north of our hometown. Its a family owned, high volume pick-your-own orchard, attracting pickers from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City and its suburbs. Dubois has everything one can ask for apples, pears, plums, peaches, nectarines and grapes. Besides fruits, the farm has a vast assortment of vegetables, including a healthy selection of pumpkins and fresh bouquet of zinnias. Theres a play village for the kids and a petting zoo where they can feed the animals. Picnic areas are scattered all over the property. Wagons pulled by tractors can be seen hauling families up the slopes, and then back to the large store, where hot dogs, hamburgers, pumpkins, homemade jams, pickles, honey, ciders, pies and my favourite apple-cider donuts are sold. The prices are very reasonable. To make picking seamless, all the aisles are marked with the variety of fruits that are ready for picking. In addition, friendly farm hands are everywhere explaining what is available and where they are. Although most of the fruits are in the lower sub-branches called spurs that are within our arms reach, poles with a small basket at one end and stepladders are available to reach the higher branches. There are some dos and donts at the orchard. Pick fruits to your hearts content. Dont climb the trees. The branches cannot support our weight. Dont pick up fruits that are on the ground. Its against the law. However, if we drop one, we have to buy it. Also, while picking, we cant make fruits our lunch. As for the grapes, we can taste only one from a bunch. During our stay, we picked apples after apples Gala, Fuji, Honey Crisp, McIntosh and Empire State, as well as Bosc pears and delectable grapes Concord and Niagara in the vineyard. The grapes are seeded with a slip-skin, meaning that the skin can be easily separated from the flesh. The delightful aroma of the grapes, still in the vines and ripened to perfection, wafts through the air all the way to the entrance of the orchard. We left the orchard with a surfeit of apples, pears and grapes. When we were back home, we lost track of the different varieties of apples since they were all in a single bag. If you thought comparing apples to oranges is a fruitless endeavor, try comparing apples to apples. Needless to say, an orchard is a great place to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. So, wherever you are, go to an orchard, breathe the fresh country air, load up on some delicious fruits, have a cup or two of warm apple cider, ride a wagon, navigate a rustling maze, all while soaking up some beautiful autumn sunshine. And do it all before global warming wreaks havoc on the seasons. When that happens, civilisation will persist, but autumn colours may not and orchards may become a thing of the past. The writer is a Professor of Physics at Fordham University. Photos: Mahjabeen Haider and writer.