The fruit stand opened in 1904, under a still-standing maple tree, a year after Charles Wright bought the farm with a natural spring and a view of the Gunks. Overflow from the family garden helped the dairy farm make ends meet, but soon Wright’s Farm planted an apple orchard—and the rest is family history. Four generations continue to work on the farm in Gardiner, New York, growing sustainable food, baking from their great-grandmother’s recipes, and selling at Westchester farmers’ markets, including those in Chappaqua, Irvington, and Pleasantville. As summer mellows to a peak, it’s time to get your hands on stone fruit—peaches, apricots, nectarines, and plums—whether you crave a moment’s juicy bite or a traditional hand pie.
“We bake everything the day of or the night before the markets,” says great-granddaughter Mackenzie.
By the 1980s, Grandma Ann’s baked goods had become so famous that people began to suspect she was a fictional character, like Otis Spunkmeyer. There’s a recipe for every bumper crop: Apricot turnovers, sour cherry pie, peach butter, and brandied peach jam are made with natural ingredients and only as much sugar as suits perfectly ripe fruit. Fruit is grown via Integrated Pest Management principles, an environmentally sensitive approach to pest control.
The season for black, red, and white cherries was in June (inconsistent crops have halted public cherry picking for now), but come mid-September, the pick-your-own apple season begins. Bring a grill and have a picnic in the orchard (the farm also has a scenic hilltop wedding venue). If you can’t pick, you can choose: The fruit stand is open year-round.
