A Fall Day in the Hamptons

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Canadians aren't the only ones who get to enjoy autumnal apple picking. Even the young at heart of the big city can enjoy the pleasures of fall! A day in the country picking apples is just an hour or two away from the Big Apple. Long Island is home to countless pick-your-own farms, and is a cinch to get to from NYC. With these last Indian summer days, its prime time for an escape to the farm before winter sets in...

About an hour and a half from Manhattan in Suffolk county sits the ultimate pick your own farm: Seven Ponds Orchard (631-726-8015) in Water Mill, NY. Rows and rows of apples, pumpkins, corn, peas, beans, blackberries, raspberries and wild flowers await! They even have radio flyer wagons available to hull around your produce- or children.

Seven Ponds was a dream! The orchard has rows and rows of 14 different kinds of apples and the lushest, coziest grass I've ever luxuriated in. The trees are a shorter variety so kids can pick apples more easily (too cute! but it's true, the picking is the best part).

Although advised not to eat straight from the trees, I think I gave my stomach the test of time and ate about 8 unwashed apples and raspberries throughout the day. My favorites were kinds I'd never even heard of- Fuji, Ginger Gold and Honey Crisp. Not your garden variety McIntosh! The apples/general apple picking experience was great. At .19 a pound, you really can't go wrong. They have the cutest bags in three sizes- 1/4 peck, 1/2 peck and a peck. The berries on the other hand, well I just gave up. A container is .99, and after thirty minutes I hadn't even filled the box a quarter of the way.

Kids of all ages can also go on a hayride or a cornmaze. I really felt like a kid again, running, laughing, climbing, all the things that can get messy in a crowded city. I think my friend's dog had the best day of her life there as well. Suffolk County is not far from the Hamptons, so after you've picked your apples and pumpkins, head to the closest beach. During the summer months, the beaches of the Hamptons are crowded, hot and snobby. But as soon as Autumn hits, it's like having your own private beach. Although the water is cold, the air is still light jacket weather during Indian Summer, therefore perfect for a picnic. The sunset in the autumn sky is even more intense and rich with color than during the summer. If you're really lucky, on a clear night the moon rising on the horizon can look as big as a pumpkin. I almost fainted, I'd never seen anything like it. I think my friends thought I was crazy, but it was huge, orange and rising so fast that I accidentally screamed.

Talk about a day of extremes- New York City to the farm to the beach, all in a matter of a few hours. Sounds like perfection to me.

Seven Ponds Orchard,
(HOURS: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily July-November)
65 Seven Ponds Rd.,
Water Mill, NY 11976-2308