Fall

I Love Fall!!!

Weekend/Farm

Judging by the parking lot, not many know about this wonderful free resource. Cornell Cooperative has a working farm located in Yapank. Sunday we went to the farm to see the animals. It was a beautiful day and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Many of the animals have been rescued or are older and are very sweet and happy to see you! You can buy food at the visitors center for $2 a bag. I suggest buying a few as there is a lot of animals and they will want to see want you bring them. The pigs are the best...I never realized how much they act like dogs! There were a group of young pigs that were so playful, I could have watched them all day. They were so adorable, play fighting with each other and when the worker started hosing down their pen, they all started to bite the hose and shake it just like a puppy would! The farm has a lot of different areas to see, we spent alot more time there than I thought we would. There is a new play area for children built with logs and wood from fallen trees. A very nice touch and shows how you can repurpose natural resources. Even though this season is wrapping up, they still have a few activities planned for the coming weeks. Go Here to see what they have to offer.

 Very happy to see us

 How can you resist those ears!!

Scary

Hey everybody! This weekend starts the annual haunted festivities here on the Island. Over the years there have been so many new places popping up. The Spooky Walk, presented by the Paquatuk Squaws to help raise money for Camp Paquatuck is always one of the best. A long walk through the woods in the dark is scary enough, but throw in physco clowns and pirate ghosts, and you're sure to be shaken up.

Zone 7

Another advantage to living on Long Island is the gardening zone. Living so close to the water has a warming effect on our climate. By trade, I am a Garden Designer and have had the pleaseure of working in some of the most beautiful gardens. We are rich with resources...you would not believe how many growers there are on this Island! Many of them are growing very unique and specialized plant material and a lot are turning to Native species.  I plan on featuring many of these growers on this blog along with great nurseries and gardens that I've designed! There is a load of resources out there of great people doing great things for our environment. 

Weekend

Pumpkin Time

When you have a sixteen year old, they're not apt to want to go pumpkin picking with you anymore. So its nice to borrow your friends two year old. Always a good time.

Also, when you have a sixteen year old, they tend to not have a wide taste range. We went to a family birthday party at Big Daddy's in Massapequa on Saturday and there was absolutely nothing on the menu a teenager wants to eat. Big Daddy's is a Cajan restaurant and everything here is spicy. They had burgers, but with jalapeno cheese and nothing but sweet potato fries. No regular fries. You cannot have a burger (without cheese) and not have fries.....so, a trip to All American on the way home was in order...

 Big Daddy's

 I had a shrimp and crawfish dish in a poblano cream sauce...good stuff

YUM, yes please

Weekend/Hidden Jewels

This weekend we were invited to join relatives and friends to the North Fork for ---wait for it---more wine tasting! Long Island has become a great destination for wine..more and more small vineyards are popping up and the product is fantastic! My husband and I have been visiting and became members at some of the most popular wineries, but didn't really do any research...we just would stop at places we thought looked good..I know, great criteria. Well, to my great delight, this weekend we discovered a few places and now I don't know if we can go back to our old ways. These wineries are intimate, fun and most important...Not Crowded!  No limos and bridal parties here...what a joy. 

Our first stop was Sherwood House Winery in Mattituck. 

These tasting rooms are really just small sheds with picnic tables and tents...adorable. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warm and the staff was so friendly and attentive. We chose the Owner's Flight tasting which started with a light and delicious Blanc de Blanc and ended with a spectacular Bordeaux blend called Sherwood Manor that blew everyone away...definitely took some of that home!

I believe this was the Cabernet Franc, one of our last tastings at Sherwood house.

Our next stop was Shinn Estate Vineyards. Actually, you could just walk through the vineyards from Sherwood House. They are on adjoining properties. Shinn is a sustainable farm that practices organic methods. Find out more about Shinn here.

 Shinn Estate Vineyards tasting room

From there it was a race to One Woman Vineyards as it was almost closing time...One woman is open until 6pm, so we had a few minutes to enjoy a few glasses as the sun set on the day. 

We tried the wonderful 2007 Estate Chardonnay, which we had to purchase. Highly recommended!

 One Woman Winery

The North Fork in the Autumn is really becoming the best part of Long Island...there is loads to do and something for every age. Along Sound Ave. and Route 25, there are numerous pumpkin farms, corn mazes and farmstands. Great restaurants and lots of wineries! 

We ended the night with dinner at Bayview Inn. Ehh. Mediocre at best.

Work

I had to work all weekend so, no adventures for me. It was homecoming weekend though, and the home teams won all their games!!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Grapes ready for harvest

Have a wonderful weekend...The above photo is at Macari Vineyard in Mattituck. My Favorite wine this year is the Early Wine, a light, fruity Chardonnay. Perfect for summer afternoons!