Catskill Maison Bed & Breakfast

New York State is notorious for apples and the orchards for the best apples, cider donuts and apple cider are in the Catskills and Hudson Valley.  At Catskill Maison Bed and Breakfast we pick apples in September and October every year, because apples are a perfect complement to our french toast. (Though, I was hesitant about putting apples on the menu this past weekend because it would force me to admit that summer is really coming to an end.) But until we opened the Bed and Breakfast I never realized how many “species” of apples there were, and which are good for eating vs. cooking. Honey crisp apples are the best eating apples hands down, but if you need to freeze apples so you can have them for a pie in January you need to purchase  golden delicious, cortland, or rome apples. Apples generally keep well in the crisper in the bottom of the fridge. I often find myself making pork chop and apple recipes well into February with the apples that I place in the crisper in October. Apples are also a great source of fiber and they definitely make you feel full. If you happen to visit us at Catskill Maison  in late September or early October there will be a plethora of orchards that you can choose from in order to get your fill of apples for the season.  We suggest Terrace Mountain Orchard in Schoharie because that’s where we get some of our apples…but if you are getting apples on the way home from the Bed and Breakfast as you head to the city you can also stop at Fix Brothers  in Hudson NY right over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, which is another “pick your own”.  Regardless of where you go, nothing is more fun than picking apples on a bright, crisp, fall day.