The moment the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change color, I am all about a trip to the country for some apple picking. I especially love to bring along friends who aren't familiar with the parts of New Jersey still befitting the Garden State nickname.
The Northwest portion of NJ is known as The Skylands Region. It is pretty funny that there are regions within such a small state, however it makes sense to those of us who live here.
My personal favorite option for apple picking is a placed called Riamede Farm in Chester, NJ. It's a beautiful farm with a large variety of apples including the type that grow on the Angry Orchard looking trees. They also offer a pick your own pumpkin patch. Once you are done picking the apples, there is a restaurant called Redwoods Grill just down the road with a great menu and friendly service. Main Street in Chester is the perfect option for walking off your post-picking meal with some local shopping at the antique shops, art galleries and local artisan stalls. This is a perfect single stop excursion.
If you are taking young ones on an apple or pumpkin picking excursion, there are a few farms that I would recommend as they offer hay rides, pony rides and corn mazes. An easy adjustment to the plan listed above would be to opt for a stop at Alstede Farms instead. Ort Farm is located just a bit further West in Long Valley, NJ. and is well known for its Fall Festival season. And even further West in Hackettstown, NJ is Donaldson Farms. All three of these farms are open year round and offer CSA programs as well as markets with local, fresh produce as well as homemade baked goods, jellies, jams and spreads.
If you have no little ones or opt to leave them with a sitter, the hay rides can easily be swapped for some wine tastings. Get a group together, designate a driver or rent a party van. My recommendation would be to start the adventure at Mackey's Orchards in Belvedere. Best to start with the apple or pumpkin picking before the wine starts to flow so as not to return home with bushels of goods with fuzzy intentions of making homemade pies, applesauce or pumpkin butter. From there, head over to Four Sisters Winery where you will enjoy the tasting on the large deck overlooking the fields. They have a limited menu, but the cheese plate is a nice complement to the wine tasting. It's about a fifteen minute drive to Brook Hollow Winery. This is a gorgeous sprawling farm with a tasting room offering outdoor seating. Pack a picnic basket, enjoy the view and if you are lucky there will be live music during your visit. They make a cranberry wine that I mix with a little bourbon and serve over ice with a cinnamon stick and orange slice as a signature cocktail for holiday parties.