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 Dear
EscapeMakers -- New
Jersey is the Garden State for a reason! For more than three centuries,
the state’s fertile fields and valleys have fed America. Today
Central Jersey’s farmers welcome millions of visitors from near
and far to partake in the bounty—and fun—of harvest season. Just
1 hour from New York and Philadelphia by train, car, or bus,
Central Jersey is one of the most accessible agricultural areas
in America!
At
DiscoverCentralNJ.com
you’ll find farms
and orchards to please everyone, including families, friends,
couples and seniors. The biggest crowds are drawn to harvest festivals,
beginning Sept 14 an running through October:
 Terhune
Orchards and Winery,
near Princeton, is the region’s agritourism leader, inviting hundreds
of thousands of visitors every year to a 200-acre family-owned
and operated farm. Autumn
brings
Terhune’s Apple
Days Fall Festivals, featuring cider, pick-your-own apples
and pumpkins, pumpkin painting, pony rides, pedal tractors, wagon
rides, corn stalk maze, adventure barn, and a barnyard
of farm animals. Every Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 to Oct. 27.
Admission $10/pp.
 Snyder
Farm in the Somerset section of Franklin Township
offers a family-oriented Farm
Festival weekends starting September 27. Activities include
hayrides, pumpkin moon bounce, hippity hop, potato sack slide,
corn maze, hay bale maze, spider web, pedal carts, corn hole games,
bowling, hay bale activity center and more. General admission
of $13 for pumpkin picking, plus cost of pumpkin.
Suydam Farms
is operated by the family’s 12th generation of farmers
in Somerset, located on State Route 27 and served by the 100 bus
out of New York’s Port Authority. The history of local farming
is a big theme of Suydam’s Fall
Fest Weekends every Saturday and Sunday in October. Pick your
own pumpkins, hayrides, apple cider, apple cider donuts and more!
Free admission. Pumpkins, produce, and food for purchase.
Hillsboro Farm Country
Market in Hillsborough hosts Fall Family Fun Days
every weekend in October. Activities include hayrides, pumpkin
picking, corn maze, face-painting, pumpkin decorating, and more!
The season’s festivities kick off October 5 with a special Antique
Tractor Show and Pig Roast starting at noon. Free admission,
food and produce available for purchase.
 Many
other Central Jersey farms offer a bounty of fresh food and experiences
...
Bobolink Dairy &
Bakehouse in Milford produces 100% grass-fed, raw
cows’ milk cheeses, pastured meats, and rustic breads baked in
a wood-fired oven. The farm has 60 mature cows, plus a new generation
of Bobolink Grazers, the result of crossing modern dairy breeds
with the ancient Kerry cattle of Ireland. Farm store open daily
except Tuesdays. Tours Saturdays and Sundays.
Cherry Grove
Farm is a sustainable dairy farm and creamery on
480 acres in Lawrenceville, making award-winning farmstead cheeses
from grass-fed raw cows’ milk. The farm also raises heritage breed
pigs, lambs, chickens and beef cattle, raised without hormones,
antibiotics or steroids. Farm Store open daily from April-Dec.
Griggstown Farm
Market near Princeton sells its famous “Griggstown
chicken” and other farm products using all-natural methods. The
market sells seasonal fruit pies, pot pies, poultry sausages,
quail eggs, and fresh seasonal soups. All products prepared in
a USDA kitchen at the Farm. Thanksgiving and holiday menus complement
the farm-raised turkeys sold in November & December. Open
daily.
Hidden Spring
Lavender Farm grows fields of lavender for bouquets,
buds, oil, and culinary products made with their own lavender
plants. The shop offers plush Buena Bears™, lotions, creams, moisturizers,
hand soap, aromatherapy and bath and body items, lavender wreaths,
dried Lavender, and more. Say hello to the friendly alpacas, raised
for alpaca fiber products. Open Saturdays and Sundays.
Ironbound
Farm in Asbury, off route 78 in Hunterdon County,
grows apples for its hard cider using fresh-pressed fruit to make
complex, perfectly balanced ciders. Visit the Tasting Room to
enjoy limited-edition ciders, wines on tap, and farmed-up Jersey
street food made with ingredients raised and foraged in the Garden
State. Open Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday.
Central Jersey is also home to tremendous farm-to-table
restaurants, wineries
and craft beverage makers, and wonderful
hotels if you’d like to stay the weekend. Bring your family,
tell your friends: Central Jersey is the place to be during harvest
season -- festivals and farms, just an hour from New York and
Philadelphia!
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