Catskills Farms A Breath Of Fresh Air For New Yorkers
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Looking to escape the grit and grime of the city this summer? Head upstate to the Catskills to see how the other half lives. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.New Yorkers are more used to horns honking than roosters clucking. So the idea of getting some hands on experience at Catskills’ area farms can be like a breath of fresh air.
On this particular morning, Apple Pond Farm, situated on 80 bucolic acres two hours north of New York City, is hosting some summer campers for a special visit.
"It’s pretty cool," said Sarah Abramson of Brooklyn. "You see the real animals. There are sheep, there are goats, there are horses and they are all over the place. It's not like when you go to cities and you see pigeons and rats. You see real animals in their natural environment."
The barn doors are also open to day-trippers this summer as the Sullivan County Farm Network holds farmstock working farm tours.
"A look at a farm up close, where you get to do something," said Sonja Hedlund of Apple Pond Farm. "People want to go somewhere and have an experience."
Farmstock is a weekend program with hours from noon to 3 p.m. that runs through Labor Day. In addition to Apple Pond, there are a dozen other farms participating.
"There’s everything from dairy farms, where you can take milk tours and maple syrup production," said Herb Clark of the Sullivan County Visitors Association. "Here at Apple Pond, they do the milking of the goats. We have horse farms, vegetable farms."
Farmstock tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for kids 5-12. Children under five get in for free.
"It’s a very inexpensive opportunity to come and see farms," Clark said.
For more information, visit applepondfarm.com or sullivancountyfarmnetwork.org.