Columbus Day at the Farm

Each year I take Columbus Day off to spend time with my two children doing something fall/Halloween oriented. Yesterday we visited two local farms – one that specialized in pumpkins and the other apples.

Today many local farms turn their corn fields into mazes or haunted hay rides or pumpkin patches– it’s a great way for the farms to earn some extra income during the time of year when many farmers, at least in the northern half of the country, are winding down. The farm we visited in Warren County NJ –Donaldson’s Farm -actually cut their corn maze to look like a big sailing ship from the days of Columbus. Now we were on the ground, among the corn stalks and corn, so we couldn’t really see the shape, but we knew from pictures and the map that there was a lot of creativity that went into the making of this maze. Fortunately my 7 year-old niece who was reading the map, guided us through the maze with ease.

After the pumpkin fun, which also included pony rides and a hay ride to a pumpkin patch, we went apple picking at Mackeys Orchards – also in Warren County NJ . First we boarded a hayride that took us up a mountain to the orchard. Then we gathered our bags and started looking for the best picks on many different trees. The view was spectacular, the weather decent, the leaves crisp colors, and the apple delicious.

After you visit such picturesque farms, you often find yourself romanticizing about being a farmer – living on and off the land – but then I also remind myself and others – how much work goes into these farms each and every day. Thank goodness there are still people around who want to be farmers.

If you haven’t had a chance yet to visit a local farm, I highly recommend it. There’s nothing better than fresh apple cider or a recently picked apple. And if you’re lucky, you may also be able to indulge in another seasonal favorite of ours– cider donuts. What a treat.

Next on our list – a haunted hayride at another farm near by.

P.S. Here’s a tip the woman at the apple farm shared with me — to keep your apples fresh and for a long time, she recommends placing them in your refrigerator crisper drawer with a small cup of water, covered with a piece of plastic wrap with a few holes poked in it. You check for  and remove bad/rotten apples each day as they will cause more to rot, but she believes that putting this cup of water in with your apples will keep them fresh for several months!

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farm day, columbus fun, pumpkin fun, donaldson’s farm, mackeys orchard