Food & Drinks

Apple Picking in Rhinebeck, NY

The trees at Cedar Heights Orchard, in Rhinebeck, New York, have truly deep roots for nearly 70 years, they've been tended by three generations of the Morris family. The fruit of all that labor? It makes for scrumptious desserts, salads, roasts, an

Use Arrow Keys to Navigate

View Gallery

16 Slides

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1

The Apple-Picking Owners

"I've got apples under my skin — and I doubt that's ever going to change," says Arvia Morris (left). In fact, the fruit is practically part of her DNA. Cedar Heights Orchard, the farm she runs with husband Bill Morris, is as much a family heirloom as the varieties that grow there. Arvia's father, Robert Crosby, purchased the original 175-acre spread in the 1940s. And ever since, she's spent weekends and summers on its rolling hills in New York's bucolic Hudson River Valley.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2

Pick Your Own Apples

Since the family can't possibly eat all the fruit they grow, they open the orchard every September and October as a pick-your-own business. For details, go to rhinebeckapples.com. Or to find a farm near you, visit pickyourown.org.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

3

The Barn

The barn at Cedar Heights dates to the 1850s.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

4

Family Affair

"Bill and I raised two sons and a daughter here," Arvia says. "Now we have four grandkids who climb the trees and play in the fields just like their parents used to."

Pictured: Arvia shares a 1960 farm wagon with (from left) daughter Adrienne Morris and grand­children Arden and Owen Morris and Lily Martin.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

5

Rustic Apple Galette

This easier-than-pie galette works best with firm, crisp apples, such as Empires.

Recipe: Rustic Apple Galette

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

6

Tractor

Bill's trusty 1950 Ford tractor hauls grandkids as well as apples.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

7

Cider Press

Arvia and Bill's grandchildren (from left) Lily, Owen, and Arden make cider using a 30-year-old press.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

8

Israeli Couscous and Apple Salad

A minty lemon dressing brightens an Israeli couscous salad made with crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, and crunchy Galas and Calville Blanc d'Hiver apples.

Recipe: Israeli Couscous and Apple Salad

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

9

Frolicking in the Fields

"We're not on a main highway, and we don't carry jams and pies, so we're never going to be one of those big farms that hundreds of people come through each day," Arvia says. "Which is fine by me and Bill. We just want the kids who visit to run around, pick a few apples, and enjoy the day."

Pictured: Arvia and Bill's grandkids and their friends head out along the hillsides at Cedar Heights Orchard.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

10

Pole Picker

Juliana Losse, who lives nearby, uses a pole picker to nab Red Delicious apples that dangle just out of reach.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

11

Family Fun

"Visitors are welcome to wander the property," says Arvia. "They can bring their dogs, even a picnic. It's very low-key and family-friendly here.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

12

Crunching into an Apple

David Currin bites into an Empire, a variety developed at nearby Cornell University in the 1940s.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

13

Up in the Tree

The Morrises' young neighbors, Reid Currin (on ladder) and his brother, David, pick a peck of Galas.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

14

Cider-Brined Pork Roast with Onions and Apples

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

15

Apple French Toast

A chunky filling of apples sautéed in butter, sugar, and nutmeg gives French toast an all-American upgrade.

Recipe: Apple French Toast

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

16

Apple Varieties

Find out the apple varieties grown at Cedar Heights Orchard — and the best ways to eat them.

Best Apples for Cooking

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLvUp6ursZyew6q6xmeaqKVfm7ywsIydqaKmm6h8qH2PampomaCluaZ5z6KapKGenHqvxYxpcGpoXw%3D%3D