FALL BOUNTY The apples, cider and pumpkins at Hindinger Farm, in Hamden, are typical of the late-season offerings available at farms and orchards throughout the state.
The air may be a bit nippier, but it is not too late to enjoy the fruits of the fall harvest at local farms. At this time of year that means apples (and apple cider), along with pumpkins, squashes, gourds — and pies. These three orchards are representative of what is available at many farms around the state.
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Sharon
The three views from Ellsworth Hill Orchard’s retail store very much reflect what this farm is about. One is of the rolling hills where its apple orchards and berry patches thrive. Another overlooks its corn maze. The third is through a plate glass window into the cider-making room.
If the weather remains mild, the orchard will continue to be open for pick-your-own apples. In the event of heavy frost, many types will be available in the store, including Empire, Honeycrisp, Gala, Cortland, Northern Spy, Macintosh, Idared, Golden Delicious and Macoun ($1.89 to $2.29 a pound, prepicked). “The later varieties are getting sweeter over time,” Michael Bozzi, the owner, said.
Mr. Bozzi, a former landscaper, bought the business 11 years ago. Under his direction, Ellsworth Hill added blueberries, cherries, peaches, plums, fall raspberries and Asian pears ($3 a pound), an autumn specialty. In a bit of landscaping ingenuity, the corn maze is keyed to a sheet of crossword-puzzle-style clues designed to lead participants through it. Like the orchard, it should be open through November ($5 to $7 per person, free for children 5 and under).
Whatever the weather, this is the season for apple cider ($2 a cup, $4 a half-gallon), made on the premises and sold unpasteurized and preservative-free. In addition to the cider mill, the farm store has a kitchen that produces spiced cider doughnuts ($5 a half-dozen), muffins ($4 for two) and three kinds of pies: apple, pumpkin and fruits of the farm ($14.50 each). “With all that fresh baking,” Mr. Bozzi said, “it smells pretty nice here in the fall.”
Ellsworth Hill Orchard and Berry Farm, 461 Cornwall Bridge Road (Route 4), Sharon; ellsworthfarm.com or (860) 364-0025. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cash only.
Hamden
The sign in front of Hindinger Farm reads, “A family tradition of quality since 1893.” With goats frolicking in a pen to the left of the retail store and cornstalks and hay bales out front, a good part of that tradition is easy to imagine.
Hindinger sells crackers for feeding the goats (50 cents for a small bag), but the bulk of its business is in people food. The farm stand carries a large range of fresh produce, much of it grown on the property. That includes an array of apples — Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp and Empire, all at $1.75 a pound — and Bosc pears. Cool-weather crops of broccoli ($1.75 a pound), white and savoy cabbages (40 to 60 cents a pound) and sundry winter squashes (75 cents a pound for acorn, butternut and spaghetti) should last through Thanksgiving.
Hindinger also offers more than a dozen preserves, jellies and fruit butters; several kinds of salsa; salad dressings and barbecue sauces; preserved peaches; marinated mushrooms; peppers; beans; even pickled beef balls ($5 to $7 for most 20-ounce jars).
Then there is the distinctive selection of pumpkins — warted, peanut, one-too-many, cheese, fairytale and blue jarrandale ($11 apiece) — and gourds, both the green gooseneck variety ($8 each) and colorful miniatures ($1.50 a pound). A decorative combination of a few will last far beyond jack-o’-lantern season.
Hindinger Farm, 835 Dunbar Hill Road, Hamden; hindingersfarm.com or (203) 288-0700. Open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Shelton
In spite of its name, Beardsley’s Cider Mill and Orchard is not just about freshly crushed apple cider. It may seem that way, however, should you visit on a weekend, when production in the cider room, at one end of the retail store, gets under way.
There are roughly 5,000 apple trees at Beardsley’s, spread over 27 acres. Between the wet summer and Tropical Storm Irene, the farm lost an estimated 15 percent of its crop, but there are still plenty of apples — more than 30 varieties are grown at the farm ($9 a half-peck, or $1 per apple).
While all of its apples are fine for eating or baking, Beardsley’s prefers to use Winesap, Northern Spy, Russet and Baldwin for cider production, with a minimum of three varieties going into a batch ($5.50 a gallon). Unfortunately, the mix will be light on Baldwins this year since deer ate most of them. “They’re very impudent, taking the better ones and munching on them right in front of us,” said Dave Beardsley, who ran the farm for many years before his son, Dan, took over.
Baked goods are another Beardsley’s specialty. More than a dozen pies, including sugarless apple, can be purchased throughout the week ($14), and fried dough, dusted with sugar and cinnamon, is featured on weekends ($4). There are cider doughnuts too, with bits of apple inside ($1 each), fruit breads ($6 a loaf), cookies ($3 for three) and pumpkin cheesecake ($21).
Most of the jarred goods are made for the farm by an outside vendor. One notable exception is the honey ($7.25 for a one-pound jar), which is produced by the same bees that help pollinate Beardsley’s apple trees.
Beardsley’s Cider Mill and Orchard, 278 Leavenworth Road (Route 110), Shelton; beardsleyscidermill.com or (203) 926-1098. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
