One of the best things about fall is the abundance of activities celebrating the flavors of the season. I’ve had quite a few friends ask me for suggestions of where to partake in fall festivities. From buying fresh fall produce at the farmers market to renting a car and heading upstate- Here are some of my favorite thrifty fall adventures in NY.
For a local NYC adventure…Let the farmers come to you. Check out your local greenmarket. New York has so many markets all over the city every day. My favorite has to be the union square market or the one at Lincoln Center. You can find everything you need to get your taste of fall including hot cider and tasty apple cinnamon doughnuts. While you’re bundled up and browsing the locally grown produce, grab the ingredients to make Harvest Stew for dinner! Or if a sensible fall festival is more your flavor check out Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Harvest Festival on October 1st where they’ll be bringing the pumpkin patch(and childhood crafts) to you.
grownyc.org/greenmarket brooklynbridgepark.org
Hunt for Pumpkins in your backyard(sort of…)
Who knew that you could pick pumpkins via your metrocard? Just an hour trip via train/bus will get you to the Queens County Museum. It’s probably the closest pumpkin picking adventure you’ll have to manhattan. If you visit on the weekends they have a corn maze and they’ll be having an apple festival on October 7th(which is free…and they’ll be baking the nations largest apple cobbler)
Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Floral Park, New York
queensfarm.org
Take an out of the city day trip…
Head to Warwick Valley. Just a short hour drive from
NYC. For apple picking be sure to check out the Warwick Valley Vineyard or Maskers Orchards. Both places have beautiful scenic pick-your-own orchards that are perfect for picnicking. I totally recommend picking up a few bottles of Warwick Valley Vineyard’s Doc’s Hard Cider. Its by far the best hard cider I’ve ever tasted. The nearby city of Warwick is a quaint town full of unique antique shops and home to an annual large scale apple festival on October 14th!
Warwick Valley Winery
114 Little York Road, Warwick, NY
wvwinery.com
Maskers Orchards
45 Ball Road, Warwick, NY
maskers.com
warwickapplefest.com
For the festival going thrifty foodie…
Fall is also a great time to check out some amazing food festivals. Between the NY Food & Wine Festival, Cider Week, and the Food Film Festival you’ll be hard pressed to find an event to attend. Lets get real- sometimes you can only pick one fall festival to attend and our top pick is the sixth annual Food Film Festival. The concept is unique and is the answer to watching mouth watering food films that leave you craving whats onscreen. At the Food Film Festival you get to taste what’s on the screen. Events range from a Japanese inspired evening to an evening inspired by the farm to table movement. I totally recommend checking out one of their 6 events spanning from the East Village to Williamsburg- you wont be disappointed. Also noteworthy to check out is Cider Week- which is happening October 12-21- which has several FREE cider tasting events and evenings explaining the differences between apple cider and apple juice!
NYCwineandfoodfestival.com
For the perfect post-adventure FALL treats…
Did you know Thrifty Foodies is celebrating its second year? Last October was full of many fall flavored meals and treats that just happen to be some of our most visited posts. Here’s a flashback of what 2011 had to offer to hold you over for this years treats:
Pumpkin Hummus– our most visited post of last fall!
Starbucks Chai Latte*Fake Out*
So there you have it- Thrifty Foodies recommendations to get you on your way to having a perfect fall. Happy adventures!
-Charlie
Thrifty Foodies 