Looking to bring home local flavor from New York’s edible epicenter? Here’s where you can stock up on fresh goodness right at the source.
From Main Street “shoppy shops” to roadside produce stands, the towns and villages of New York’s greater Hudson Valley abound with purveyors of gourmet foodstuffs, and for good reason. This entire region is a verdant wonderland where culture and agriculture collide in a most spectacular fashion. It’s a place where orchards shower the ground with apples, organic squash spills over crates, and artisanal cheese is churned inside rustic barns — all just an hour or two north from the bustle of Manhattan.
The centuries-old granges and dairies of the Hudson Valley are hardly roadside novelties or simple means-to-ends. Their sheer abundance, and proximity to New York City, has catapulted them to the forefront of the global slow food movement. They’re the magnets charging Michelin-starred kitchens, bringing renewed attention to our relationship with the land, and drawing sustainability-minded eaters from near and far, all for a taste of the modern locavore lifestyle.
With such incredible, edible opportunities around every scenic corner, you never know what you might find. But you will know this: You’ll always want your deepest tote bag close by. Here are some of the best farm stands — from Westchester to the Catskills — to fill yours to the brim.
Westchester & Putnam
Fable Market
Why did the free-range chicken cross the road? To get to Fable, of course. Located on a historic property conveniently off the Taconic Parkway between Yorktown and Ossining, this sustainable farm and education center has been a staple in Westchester’s organic food community since 2015. A minimalist on-site market teems with a maximalist variety of pleated heirloom tomatoes, leafy herbs, and a rainbow array of carrots, along with fresh eggs and other items from local bakers and makers. Don’t forget to bid that grazing poultry adieu on your way out.
Fable’s farm shop is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm.
1311 Kitchawan Road (Route 134), Ossining, NY 10562
Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard
Even when it’s not the season to galavant from tree to tree, this popular apple orchard has a sizable market with everything from pie shell fillings to salad accouterments. Sweet potatoes ready to roast. Onions begging to be caramelized. Leeks fit to be sautéed in duck fat. Leave the grocery list at home and just be inspired by the colors in the crates. Or, enjoy a glass of “The Scrump,” a tart, French-style hard cider (there’s the regular kind, too) at the on-farm cidery, Hardscrabble Cider, before heading home to start dinner.
The farm store is open Monday through Sunday, 9am to 5pm. The Hardscrabble taproom has it flowing from Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm, on Fridays from 10am to 9pm, and on Saturdays from 10am to 6pm.
130 Hardscrabble Road, North Salem, NY 10560
Hilltop Hanover Farm
Dating to the 1780s, Hilltop Hanover is such a coveted area landmark that Westchester County bought it for preservation at the turn of the 21st century. Today a working farm and teaching center, it appropriately has its own market, where one can buy produce and native plants feet from where they were grown. No travel time between soil and market shelves means you’re stocking up on some of the freshest, most flavorful ingredients available in the country. Between the flowers and the produce, you’re sure to impress anyone seated at the table you set after a trip to Hilltop Hanover.
The shop is open Fridays from 1pm to 5pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm. You can also browse online to plan a perfect shopping list.
1271 Hanover Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Vera’s Marketplace and Garden Center
Most cars fly down Route 9 in Putnam County, but you won’t want to leave Vera’s Marketplace in the dust. The roadside nursery has been rooted in Cold Spring since 1982, selling fresh produce alongside its wide array of plants. An added bonus: A wall of imported Italian specialties, a nod to the family’s ancestry and a welcome sight for those sad to be 4,254 miles from the nearest mercati. While Vera’s homemade mozzarella is indeed the stuff dairy dreams are made of, it’s the apple cider donuts — made fresh daily — that really draw the crowd. Try the cinnamon-powdered one for an out-of-body experience.
Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 4pm, it’s also but a stone’s throw from Parcel Flower Company, an artful floral studio with fresh-cut stems, house plants, and more.
3091 US-9 #102, Cold Spring, NY 10516
Dutchess & Columbia
Dykeman Farm
Some of the best things in life are worth the wait. One of those things is the season at Dykeman Farm in Pawling, open daily from July 1 to October 31 each year. At this single al fresco farm stand, you’ll be able to collect a colorful blend of fruit, veggies, flowers, and herbs to cook up dishes bursting with freshness.
Summer visitors are welcomed with picked-daily sweet corn, while autumn attendees will delight in bulbous pumpkins and glistening mums. If you’re not up for the drive up Route 22 (but you should be), Dykeman Farm produce is available at Farmer’s Grind in Vista (Lewisboro), NY.
31 Dykeman Lane, Pawling, NY 12564
The Farm at Miller’s Crossing
A 250-year-old Dutch barn hosts the marketplace at the all-organic Farm at Miller’s Crossing, located just east of Claverack on a popular cut-through from Hudson and the Berkshires. Within its rustic wooden walls are refrigerated shelves of hardy certified-organic greens, pasture-raised meats, jugs of New York maple syrup, and crusty baguettes from Berkshire Mountain Bakery.
Since 1994, the 200-acre farm has been owned and operated by the Cashen family, first-generation farmers who raised their four children on the grounds. The Barn is open daily from 10am to 6pm, from April 15 through Thanksgiving — you can also find the farm’s produce at farmer’s markets and participating CSAs throughout the area.
170 NY-217, Hudson, NY 12534
Hearty Roots Farm
A seasonal bounty is available to conscious shoppers year-round at Germantown‘s Hearty Roots Community Farm. Augmenting the farm’s own USDA-certified organic vegetables, eggs, and flowers are a myriad of specialties from kindred nearby agri-ventures, including fresh pasta, soft cheeses, and jams — so if you’re going the distance, you may want to bring a cooler bag.
Hearty Roots’ marketplace is open Wednesday through Friday from 11am to 6pm, and on weekends from 10am to 4pm.
1822 Route 9 Germantown, NY 12526
MX Morningstar Farm
Ooh-and-ahh at the violet bunches of torpedo-shaped onions and the hot pink streaks of a French breakfast radish at MX Morningstar Farm’s stand in Columbia County. Here, you’ll witness nature’s art and suddenly appreciate a Dutch master’s still life subject matter. Gather organic vegetables grown on the grounds and dairy from surrounding farmers. You might want to grab an easel before reaching for the cast iron skillet: MX Morningstar Farm grows the kind of produce you’ll want to paint before sautéing.
The farm store is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
5956 NY-9H, Hudson, NY 12534
Orange, Ulster, & Greene
Mercier Farms
If you’re planning on opening Mastering the Art of French Cooking, you’ll want to bring home ingredients Julia Child would be fond of. Especially if you’re cooking Caneton Rôti à l’Alsacienne (roast duck with sausage and apple stuffing). Apples are prominently in stock here, piling high in wooden crates — you’ll just need to make the hard decision of which variety to bring home. (When in doubt, you can’t lead any recipe calling for pommes astray with Honeycrisp).
Visit Monday through Sunday, 10am-6pm. Did we mention they’re building a bakery?
210 New York 32, South New Paltz, NY 12561
Pennings Farm
Forget navigating the narrow aisles of a grocery store after work. Head to Pennings Farm, grab a cart, and enjoy a happy hour grocery shopping experience. Peruse the shelves with a Pennings Farm Cidery hard cider in hand or cupholder. The year-round indoor farmer’s market in Warwick, NY, is filled with won’t-find-in-the-big-chains pantry items. In addition to Pennings Farm’s own produce, you’ll find farm fresh eggs, kefir, and nut butters crafted by local producers.
Open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 7pm, and Sunday from 9am to 6pm.
161 NY-94, Warwick, NY 10990
Rise and Root Farm
More than a farm, this five-acre cooperative in Chester, NY, is rooted in social justice and supporting the QTBIPOC community (which its four founders are a part of). The goal? Build a more equitable food system. How? By growing organic food in an environment that promotes healing.
You can shop online from May to November, placing an order by Wednesday evening for pick up on Saturday at the farm in Chester. Alternate pickup locations are the Kingston Farmers Market and the Friday Union Square Greenmarket. After ordering an array of herbs for an electric chimichurri, consider stretching your support further by donating groceries to the local food pantry.
168 Meadow Ave, Chester, NY 10918
Stoneledge Farm
Maybe you’ve seen the name on a box truck rolling into your favorite downstate restaurant or greenmarket. Set on 300 acres in the Northern Catskills, Stoneledge Farm has been a stalwart of community-supported agriculture (CSA) in the Hudson Valley since 1996, and they partner with a laundry list of CSA groups from Manhattan to Connecticut.
During the 22-week harvest season from June through October, CSA participants can opt into to a weekly vegetable share — add-ons include coffee and dry beans, mushroom, herbs, and more — with boxes of 8-12 pieces of certified organic produce. But there’s also a marketplace for those shopping à la carte, which stocks an array of oils, sauces, and other gourmet pantry items. It’s open weekends from 9am to 4pm.