Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.

Carve Out Good Times, Family Memories at Ellsworth Hill Orchard

Carve Out Good Times, Family Memories at Ellsworth Hill Orchard
Apple-picking is an annual family tradition at Ellsworth Hill Orchard in Sharon, Conn., where there are 13 varieties to choose from. Photo contributed by Mike Bozzi, Elsworth Hill Farm

Among the many things that Northwest Corner towns do well are fall farm activities bathed in vibrant foliage, bright blue skies, invigorating air and the always uplifting laughter of children delighting in all that seems new.

Just around the next bend in the road or beyond the next hill, trees compete for attention, blaring their sunlit colors at passers-by, vying to be called “the fairest of them all.”

Area farms embrace the fun, welcoming visitors and offering a variety of planned agricultural experiences. Ellsworth Hill Orchard and Berry Farm in Sharon, Conn., is one of them. Ellsworth has specialized in organic, earth-embracing fall activities for many seasons, making it a repeat destination for generations of families.

This fall season will be no different.  During an early September visit with owner/operator Mike Bozzi, he noted that a pause to chat was possible only because it happened to be a rainy day.  Such rare days provide a bit of respite from the hard work of agriculture.

“I’m definitely excited about the upcoming fall season of activities at Ellsworth Farm,” Bozzi said. “It’s like being in heaven every day here.” He has owned the farm since 1999.

“It’s been an enjoyable 22 years,” he said. “I don’t have time to breathe when it’s happening,” he said of the fall schedule of activities.  There is never even time to count the numbers of visitors; they just keep on coming.

PUMPKINS, APPLES, BERRIES AND AN AMAZING MAZE

What can those visitors, young and old, expect to see this year at Ellsworth Farm?

A favorite attraction for everyone is the corn maze, which takes on a different theme each year. The 2021 design? It’s baseball themed: The New York Yankees.

Asked for the secret of the maze should grown-ups find themselves hopelessly lost and seeking the way out, Bozzi said that the key is to stand still and look for the top of the building that is visible to taller people from throughout the maze, then just head for the building. The kids don’t need to know how you did it.

Apple-picking is traditional, bringing the fun of doing it yourself. Visitors will find 13 varieties to choose from, good for everything from pies to eating fresh off the tree. There are also pear trees bearing sun-ripened fruit, including Asian pears and New Century varieties. And there are Olympic Giant pears. Each pear can weigh as much as a pound.

And a fall favorite, the pumpkin patch, is ready for you to select your own right on the spot where it grew.  Pumpkins can be found in all sizes, small and large, just how they grow. Bozzi noted that he doesn’t fertilize them to achieve the size. They are all-natural.

Fresh berries may be there when you visit, particularly a fall run of raspberries. “We might have them and other berries, too,” Bozzi said, depending on the timing. Hayrides, too, may be a feature of your visit, again depending upon conditions at the time.

Cider making is on-going, using a commercial press that dates back to the 1980s. The operation can be viewed through an observation window. Freshly pressed cider is a popular and welcome treat.

Farm festivities also include an antique Lionel toy train display that the children enjoy seeing in operation. It runs between 6 and 6:30 p.m. on weekends.  Other runs can be arranged by appointment.

BEST TO CHECK WEBSITE BEFORE PLANNING TRIP

All true farming is dependent upon Mother Nature for all things, Bozzi noted. The timing of ripeness, readiness for picking, ground conditions within the corn maze are all affected by the weather. “You can’t predict it.”

Thankfully, though, constant updates on the Ellsworth Farm website are very helpful in planning that trip to the farm and finding out what is in season at any given time. For information, visit  www.ellsworthfarm.com, or call (860) 364-0025l

Ellsworth Hill Orchard, located at 461 Cornwall Bridge Road (Rte. 4), is open six days a week, including holidays, but is closed on Tuesdays.  The farm will remain open through the fall until the day before Thanksgiving Day. It will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Latest News

North East finalizing plans for new Town Hall

The former Jehovah’s Witness hall at 5603 Route 22 south of the Village of Millerton awaits interior renovations to retrofit the building for use as North East’s new Town Hall.

Photo by Graham Corrigan

MILLERTON — Plans to renovate the former Jehovah’s Witness hall on Route 22 to serve as North East’s Town Hall will move forward, with construction expected to begin this winter, Town Supervisor Chris Kennan said.

North East Town Board members are expected to move ahead with existing plans for a new Town Hall building, scrapping an earlier idea to remove a courtroom from the floorplan.

Keep ReadingShow less
County legislator faces reelection battle just one year into term

Eric Alexander

Photo provided

Democratic incumbent Eric Alexander is facing Republican challenger Stefanie Hubert in the November general election for Dutchess County Legislature District 25.

The District 25 election is going to be largely defined by pressing issues in the county such as affordability, government transparency, emergency medical services, small business restrictions and housing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millbrook Fire Department calls for budget increase

MILLBROOK — Representatives from the Millbrook Fire Department appealed for aid at the Washington Town Board meeting last week.

The department is underfunded, fire district officials said. Old equipment, aging infrastructure, and a glut of new members have stretched the department to its breaking point. “Usually we’re the ones doing the helping,” said Fire Captain Kelly Tomasulo, “but today we’re asking you for help.”

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Capturing nature in writing at Great Mountain Forest’s inaugural writing retreat

The retreat featured frequent walks through the woods around Yale Camp to take inspiration from nature.

Photo by Jacquelyn Drain

FALLS VILLAGE, Conn. — I know nothing about nature aside from my reverence for its beauty. I took one environmental science class nearly four years ago but that is the extent of my knowledge. Despite this I had the pleasure of being surrounded by not only nature enthusiasts but also experts at the inaugural Yale Camp Writers Retreat held at Great Mountain Forest.

The background of the retreat was an essential, calming character. The rustic and historic Yale Camp, founded in 1940, is nestled amongst 6,500 acres of woods on Canaan Mountain. With 15 hiking trails, the forest is home to beautiful scenery and creatures.

Keep ReadingShow less
North East apartment conversion moves to public hearing

Lilly Simons and Lauren Simons are proposing to turn the building at 185 Route 44 into an eight-unit apartment building. The structure once served as a restaurant and then as office space but has been vacant for several years, Lauren Simons said.

Photo by Nathan Miller

MILLERTON — The Greyhouse Apartment conversion occurring on 181-185 Route 44 made progress this week toward bringing the first housing to the Town of North East’s boulevard district following the area’s rezoning in April.

The North East Planning Board continued discussions on site plans for the apartments at their meeting on Aug. 12. The project, proposed by local petroleum distributor GRJH Inc., seeks to convert a former office building into eight apartments. Plans call for five one-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom units and one studio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Grocery plans delayed, timber harvest planned in Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains Planning Board met last week to discuss the new grocery store at 7723 S. Main St., hear a request for timber harvest at 3228 Route 199, and review site plans to settle an easement dispute at 2775 Church St.

Only one of the three went as planned — the South Main street owners postponed their appearance, and site plans for the easement on Church Street were not submitted in time.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.