在附近农场采摘苹果（Blue Jay Orchards）（二）

金秋季节是采摘苹果和欣赏红叶的大好时光。和前几天时雨时晴，气候变化莫测不同,经过昨夜的大雨后,今天秋高气爽、阳光明媚。中午我们驱车来到位于125 Plumtrees Rd，Bethel, CT 的Blue Jay Orchards农场采摘苹果（www.bluejayorchardsct.com ）。和以往采摘单一的苹果品种不同,这里的苹果有多项品种（There are trees full of Granny Smith, Fuji, McIntosh, Macoun, Stayman and the always-persnickety Red Delicious.），距离我们住地较近, 不到20分钟就可以抵达。今天是星期天,来这里采摘的人格外的多, 有的举家前来。按照自己的需求可以采摘15美元一袋的, 也可以采摘30美元一袋的(下面介绍的10，20，30元三种现已改为15，30元两种)。我们看到在农场的苹果专卖店里一袋苹果4.95美元,估计两袋的数量要超过15元一袋的最大量, 也许是考虑到自由采摘会有相当的损害(几乎满地苹果没人摘)和由于自己采摘的感受和在市场购买不同, 不过两种价格均比在超级市场内的苹果价格要便宜。两个孩子对于自己动手采摘苹果更是有着特别的兴趣。我们一开始先自己采摘然坐农场的拖拉机车参观整个农场（140 Plus Acres of over 36 varieties of apples, plus pumpkins. Blue Jay Orchards is a picturesque 140 acre farm nestled in the quaint New England town of Bethel, Connecticut. It is one of the very few remaining commercial orchards in Fairfield County. The farm's history as a modern orchard dates back to 1934）（每人2美元）， 对于苹果农场有个轮廓的了解。农场的专卖商店和榨新鲜苹果汁的机械化过程也引起孩子的兴趣。

照片（一）张26张, （      二）18张是即时拍摄的。

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10/16/2010

I drove an hour to meet my friend at this place, and I came away learning several things:

- Blue Jay Orchards has a humongous selection of apples. This place has row after row of apple trees that are simply laden with fruit. There are trees full of Granny Smith, Fuji, McIntosh, Macoun, Stayman and the always-persnickety Red Delicious. You can pick what you like, and wander the orchards for as long as you like - or at least until your bag fills up, which brings me to the next item.

- Bags: You can't bring your own. Rather, you have to purchase one of three bags that Blue Jay Orchards offers. The smallest bag is $10, while a medium-sized bag will cost you $20. I think the largest bag tops out at $30, but I am not sure because I didn't even consider that size. It's a little ridiculous to pay that much for plastic bags, even if they do have Blue Jay Orchard's name on them. But fork over the cash, or you won't get near the orchard - and that's what you came for, right?

- The pumpkins at Blue Jay Orchards are great, although it being mid-October the selection was somewhat thin. But get out there and look for one nevertheless - the Great Pumpkin no doubt awaits!

- Hot apple cider, jellies, jams, pies, soup stocks and fixings, honey and baked goods await your purchase in the Blue Jay Orchards store. If you do nothing else before you leave, buy a cup of hot cider. It is lovely!

- Parking can be a hassle due to the crowds. Unless you arrive relatively early, be prepared to dodge crowds and people toting pumpkins and balancing bags of apples as you park your car.

- Public restrooms do not exist at Blue Jay Orchards. Unless you want to drive 3 minutes or so down the road to the Big Y supermarket and use their customer restrooms, you'll resort to the port-o-potty, and given the crowds I mentioned above, you'll immediately regret it.

But bathrooms aside, Blue Jay Orchards is great. It can compete with equally large orchards in New York, and aside from being a hop, a skip and a jump from the Empire State, it is far enough north in Fairfield County to be almost countryish. A definite must-visit before fall winds down and winter picks up.

Listed in: Beautiful New England, Connecticut!, Orchards in October

We pride ourselves as a place to create and re-live memories with family and friends. We can't wait to show and share with you what tree-ripened fruit is all about. 140 Plus Acres of over 36 varieties of apples, plus pumpkins. Blue Jay Orchards is a picturesque 140 acre farm nestled in the quaint New England town of Bethel, Connecticut. It is one of the very few remaining commercial orchards in Fairfield County. The farm's history as a modern orchard dates back to 1934 when Mr. Josephy brought a farm house and 50 acres from Elizabeth Weed. The Weed family had owned the farm for many years. When her husband died, Elizabeth Weed kept a few cows and sold butter that she churned from their milk. She also opened her home to New York City vacationers during the summer months, becoming one of the Danbury area's first Bed & Breakfasts.

Over the next 50 years the farm expanded from 50 acres to it's current size, when Josephy acquired the dairy farm across the street and a vegetable farm adjacent to his property. The farm houses of both farms remain in use today.

http://www.bluejayorchardsct.com/