Most people think of Manhattan when they think of the “Big Apple”.
Living here in the Hudson Valley surrounded by apple orchards, farm stands and farm-to-table restaurants featuring the humble but delectable fruit on their menus, we beg to differ. In fact, New York State is the top grower of apples in America, second only to Washington State, and there are nearly 700 orchards in the state growing a myriad of varieties. This includes the Braeburn, Cortland, Crispin, Empire, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Gala, Golden Delicious, Idared, Jonamac, Macoun, McIntosh, Pink Lady Red Delicious, Rome, and many others unique to the Hudson Valley.
Beyond enjoying apples straight up, living in the Hudson Valley means we are also happy recipients of the many cideries that have popped up in the region. The most famous locally —and perhaps nationally — is the Angry Orchard headquarters. Located a scenic and easy 10-mile drive from the Hudson Valley Rose Bed and Breakfast, Angry Orchard has a pretty cool treehouse built by and featured on Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet, a Barrel Room, Cider Innovation Center featuring a small self-guided gallery tour, a Cider Garden and a tasting room offering limited-release ciders, often only available on the premises. We’ve enjoyed the live music, tasting flights and food truck bites and recommend you check out their calendar of interesting events such as the occasional farmers’ market and farm-to-table dinners with cider pairings.
So there you have it. There’s much more to the Big Apple than the Big Apple you knew. Go on, pack a bag and come on over and take a bite.
