Need a few moments of respite from the global health crisis? Consider ordering local wine and cheese delivered to your home from New York’s Backyard Garden—the rolling vineyards and farms of Central New Jersey, just an hour’s drive, or overnight delivery, from your doorstep. “New Jersey is producing some of the best wines in the east,” wrote the Wine Enthusiast a couple of years ago. “New Jersey’s top estates are producing some of the best bottles in the east, on par with anything found in New York or Virginia.” New Jersey is the Garden State for a reason—it’s farms and beverage makers have supplied the nation during wartime, the depression, and now pandemic. Visit DiscoverCentralNJ.com for the full story of New York’s backyard garden, and how farms are responding to local needs during the crisis. UNIONVILLE VINEYARDS - The Unionville Vineyards team manages and sources grapes from six vineyards, spread across three Central Jersey counties. The range of soil types, macroclimates, and topography allows their winemakers to craft diverse wines that showcase the often-discussed and hard-to-define concept of terroir. They recently receive a 90 point rating from the Cork Report for their Cabernet Franc. Unionville offers a wide variety of wines for overnight shipment to New York via UPS. For free shipping on 6 or more bottles use the code “SHIPNOW” at checkout. There is also a 15 percent discount on a case when you use the code “CLUB15” at discount. OLD YORK CELLARS – Boasting some of the oldest vines in New Jersey, Old York Cellars is located on the historic road between New York and Philadelphia. That fact won’t help UPS get Old York wine to you any faster, but it’s nice to know. Boasting a large selection of award-winning wines with something for everyone, the winery is
Need a few moments of respite from the global health crisis? Consider ordering local wine and cheese delivered to your home from New York’s Backyard Garden—the rolling vineyards and farms of Central New Jersey, just an hour’s drive, or overnight delivery, from your doorstep. “New Jersey is producing some of the best wines in the east,” wrote the Wine Enthusiast a couple of years ago. “New Jersey’s top estates are producing some of the best
For more local trip ideas, checkout //www.discovercentralnj.com Holiday trips in the family car while growing up in the 1970s often featured my mother leading the family in singing “Over the River and through the Woods,” a holiday poem and song written by a prominent abolitionist in 1844. It goes this way: “Over the river, and through the woods, To Grandmother’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.” Early snowfalls are rarer today, but otherwise the spirit of an old-fashioned holiday journey is very much alive in Central Jersey, home to dozens of farms, farm markets, and beverage makers, just an hour’s journey by car, bus, or rail from New York and Philadelphia. Make Discover Central NJ your guide to the Garden State’s holiday bounty. Crossing the D&R Canal will get you to many Central Jersey Farms Whether you are crossing the mighty Hudson or Delaware rivers from a major city, or just crossing the Millstone or Raritan rivers from a nearby town, Central Jersey’s Canal Region is the perfect holiday season destination. Stock up on a bounty of traditional holiday foods and beverages, including a heritage breed turkey for Thanksgiving, an old fashioned Christmas goose, a holiday ham, or a wide assortment of prepared side dishes, fruit pies, local wines and spirits, and gift baskets. You can make a full day or a weekend of your holiday foraging in Central Jersey by rounding out your itinerary with stops at farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, historic sites, recreation areas, cultural destinations, and hotels. Double Book Farm in Hopewell and Griggstown Farm in Franklin Township pasture-raise heritage breeds of turkeys, the most similar to what was available to the Pilgrims, making them the perfect center piece to your holiday table. Double Brook Farm
For more local trip ideas, checkout //www.discovercentralnj.com Holiday trips in the family car while growing up in the 1970s often featured my mother leading the family in singing “Over the River and through the Woods,” a holiday poem and song written by a prominent abolitionist in 1844. It goes this way: “Over the river, and through the woods, To Grandmother’s house we go; the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white
Dear EscapeMakers -- Travel less than an hour from NYC for some good old-fashioned fun! Somerset County New Jersey will continue their annual 4-H Fairtradition on Wednesday August 7th through Friday August 9th (10am-10pm) at North Branch Park located in Bridgewater NJ. This is a FREE family-friendly event with no admission or parking fees and no fees on midway or carnival rides. All day professional & amateur entertainment can be enjoyed as well! The Fair is sponsored by the Somerset County 4-H Association and the Board of Chosen Freeholders in support of the 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension. 4-H Members, volunteer Fair Managers, 4-H Club Leaders, and parents work together, making this the largest event in Somerset County!
Dear EscapeMakers — Travel less than an hour from NYC for some good old-fashioned fun! Somerset County New Jersey will continue their annual 4-H Fairtradition on Wednesday August 7th through Friday August 9th (10am-10pm) at North Branch Park located in Bridgewater NJ. This is a FREE family-friendly event with no admission or parking fees and no fees on midway or carnival rides. All day professional & amateur entertainment can be enjoyed as well! The Fair
Celebrate 'merica with blueberry picking at Central NJ Farms! Dear EscapeMakers -- Blueberry season is in full swing at Snyder's Farm in Somerset, NJ starting June 29th until they are all picked out! July 13th, visit for Blueberry U-Pick & Movie under the stars. Only a 5-minute cab from the Somerset NJ Transit train station (1 hour from NYC),just grab a friend, a basket and go! And on July 6-7th from 10am-5pm, Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ, hosts their annual Blueberry Bash, a great all-American event for kids, families and blueberry fans alike! Pick-Your-Own blueberries in their 2-acre patch and enjoy country music while you relax with a glass of their award-winning Rooster Red dark cherry wine or Farmhouse White chardonnay blend. Family entertainment includes a puppet show, tractor-drawn wagon rides, pony rides, face painting, games in the barnyard and visits with the sheep, goats, ducks and chickens! And when hunger strikes at Terhune, visit the Mount Family's Blueberry Bash Buffet, chock full of tasty blueberry treats – blueberry-apple crisp, blueberry drinks, blueberry muffins, blueberry cobbler, blueberry jam, blueberry salsa and more! You can even enter their juried Blueberry Bash Bake Off Contest for a $100 first prize farmstore certificate! Terhune Orchards is accessible by taking NJ Transit to Princeton and then a quick 13-minute cab ride to the farm)! By the way, three women, including co-founder Pam Mount (pictured here, middle), are key members of Terhune's leadership team. DiscoverCentralNJ.com is highlighting local women in agriculture since they comprise more than 40% of New Jersey farmers -- a fact that has been hidden until now. Read here how a methodology change in the US Farm Census revealed this secret fact! Keep checking the site as they add more amazing women farmers to support! MORE THINGS TO DO, SEE & TASTE
Celebrate ‘merica with blueberry picking at Central NJ Farms! Dear EscapeMakers — Blueberry season is in full swing at Snyder’s Farm in Somerset, NJ starting June 29th until they are all picked out! July 13th, visit for Blueberry U-Pick & Movie under the stars. Only a 5-minute cab from the Somerset NJ Transit train station (1 hour from NYC),just grab a friend, a basket and go! And on July 6-7th from 10am-5pm, Terhune Orchards in
Dear EscapeMakers -- Less than an hour from NYC in Somerset County, New Jersey, Duke Farms will be all aglow at the Firefly Festival! On Friday July 12th & Saturday July 13th, experience the magic of fireflies at the Firefly Festival, one of the world's most renowned environmental destinations! During this family-friendly event, you'll meander along a self-guided 1.5-mile loop through woodlands and meadows to get a glimpse of fireflies in action. Stop at over 20 activity stations along the way and learn to communicate with fireflies, discover what a glowworm is, learn what it takes to create a home for fireflies in your backyard, and much more! The festival runs from 7:30pm - 10:30pm each day! Please register all individuals in your group in advance. BOOK NOW ! More Upcoming Events at Duke Farms NJ Native Orchids (Recurring) Community Garden Snoop Tour (Recurring) Getting to Know Orchids (Recurring) Junior Naturalists (Recurring) Waterfall Hike - July 5th Up with the Birds - July 22 Butterfly Gardening for Kids - July-August Experience Things to Do in Somerset County, NJ VisitSomersetNJ.org
Dear EscapeMakers — Less than an hour from NYC in Somerset County, New Jersey, Duke Farms will be all aglow at the Firefly Festival! On Friday July 12th & Saturday July 13th, experience the magic of fireflies at the Firefly Festival, one of the world’s most renowned environmental destinations! During this family-friendly event, you’ll meander along a self-guided 1.5-mile loop through woodlands and meadows to get a glimpse of fireflies in action. Stop at over
Dear EscapeMakers -- Rock, formal, native, rose, peony, ornamental -- whatever garden passion, the beauty and aroma of diverse gardens can be found in Somerset County, NJ! The County is home to five renowned garden experiences for you to explore. Plan a visit to Duke Farms, Leonard J. Buck Garden, Peony's Envy, the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden or Hidden Spring Lavender. Gardens Getaways are ideal during Spring and Summer when many plants are in peak bloom! Upcoming Events: Duke Farms May 5 - Seed Bombs for Monarchs May 11 - Forest Gardening in the Home Landscape May 18 - Nature Immersion May 18 & June 6 - Getting to Know Orchids May 31 - Ecology Walk June 1 - Community Garden Snoop Tour Duke Farms features a farm-to-table indoor market. There are three gardens on the breathtaking Duke Estate: the Orchid Range, with one of the largest tropical displays in the country, an arboretum with a Japanese-style meditation garden, and the largest allotment-style community garden in the U.S.! Leonard J. Buck Garden May 5, 12 & 19 - Woodland Walks Visit one of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United States, consisting of a series of alpine and woodland gardens situated in a 33-acre wooded stream valley. Peony's Envy May 10, 17, 24 & 31 Friday Night Picnics and Garden Tours May 25 - June 9 - Pick Your Own Peonies June 1 - Peony Supper- Peak Bloom Party Nursery and display garden in Bernardsville, with one of the most extensive collections of tree, herbaceous and intersectional peonies in the Northeastern United States. Events and workshops are held throughout the year. Colonial Park Gardens May 30 & June 2 - Guided Tours - Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden June 8th - Rose Day Festival
Dear EscapeMakers — Rock, formal, native, rose, peony, ornamental — whatever garden passion, the beauty and aroma of diverse gardens can be found in Somerset County, NJ! The County is home to five renowned garden experiences for you to explore. Plan a visit to Duke Farms, Leonard J. Buck Garden, Peony’s Envy, the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden or Hidden Spring Lavender. Gardens Getaways are ideal during Spring and Summer when many plants
