(This is part of an ongoing series that showcases some of the best food and drinks in Central New York that you probably don’t know about. Do you have a hidden gem? Share your favorite by emailing me at cmiller@syracuse.com or texting me at 315-382-1984. I might even buy you lunch. If you want to know my next hidden gem before it’s published, join my text group for subscribers where I will announce it a day in advance. That’ll allow you to get there before everyone else.)
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Sennett, N.Y. — We were nearing the highest point of Owen Orchards at 17 mph in a lively old Polaris Sportsman ATV when Gordon Tripp hit the brakes to take a look around. Auburn is to the left, Syracuse to the right. Below are 15,000 apple trees on 30 acres bursting with fruit.
That’s when Gordon realized he needed to cut this ride short and get back to work.
“This was supposed to be a retirement hobby,” said Gordon, who’s days away from 78, before putting the Polaris back in gear.
He has worked on the family farm since he was a child, but when he retired from his job at a power company, he upped his schedule to full-time. His son, David, recently retired from the Jordan-Elbridge School District at 55 and also came back. David’s son and daughter work here when they’re home from college.
Central New York has blessed us with so many apple orchards. Not only do these farms put fruit in our pies, grow the appropriate gift for our child’s teacher and keep the doctor away, they create memories during the too-brief autumn season.
Owen Orchards is one of many in the area, but there’s something about this place that makes it a hidden gem. It rests atop a hill on a busy Route 5 just west of the Onondaga County line past Elbridge. Unless you planned on coming here, you’d probably keep driving.
Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
If you do stop, chances are you’ll end up staying awhile, and you’ll likely come back.
“We treat people here like guests,” Gordon said. “They can wander around and enjoy it. Take your time. Slow down. Pick some apples, any apples you like.”
You won’t find a petting zoo or pony rides at Owen Orchards. You might walk into an occasional chicken barbecue, but this is little more than a vast working family farm with plenty of room to spread out and relax.
Gordon’s grandfather, Charles Owen, founded the farm around 1930. As the fifth generation settles into working here, the business continues to grow, yet it remains a self-described “down-home, old-fashioned farm.”
Picking apples here is the main attraction. You can ride on one of the four wagons that slowly take you through rows of trees until you find a spot you like. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, you’ll be spaced out on the wagon unless you’re with family, and workers will wipe everything down between rides. (Be sure to bring a mask, too.)
This week, I chose to walk the hills instead. You can pick any of the 25 varieties they offer, and most are reachable without a ladder. Right now, the apple ready for picking are: Blondies, Ginger Gold, Jonamac, Sansa, McIntosh, Gala, Honey Crisp and Cortland.
They charge $1.10 per pound. Or you can fill one of their peck bags for $11 or a half-bushel bag for $22. The apples here are meaty, so you’re going to fill the bags quickly.
Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
Among the varieties you’ll find in the store is the new Pink Luster apple created by Cornell professor Susan Brown. It combines the tastes of Honeycrisp and Gala apples.
The last apples that’ll be available this year at Owen are the Ever Crisp, a new creation born in the Midwest. Gordon said they kept a few crates from last year’s harvest in the cooler until January so the sugar could become more pronounced.
“You couldn’t beat the flavor of those apples,” he said. “I think that’s now my favorite.”
A crate full of Pink Luster apples, a new variety created at created by Cornell AgriTech. Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
Owen Orchards doesn’t sell their apples to area grocery stores; they do business at the Regional Market in Syracuse and the Westcott area farmer’s market.
You must try ...
Hard Pressed Cidery cider: Last year, David used some of his orchard’s unpasteurized cider to create hard cider, a semisweet cider with 6.44% alcohol by volume.
“The biggest difference you’ll notice about this cider is that we don’t add a lot of sugar,” David said. “So you’re not going to get that syrupy taste in the back of your mouth. You taste the actual apples.”
The Orchard Harvest Hard Cider is available on tap ($5 for a large cup) or in cans at the farm. They’ll also fill your growler.
The Tripps are building a bar at the farm so they can serve their soft and hard cider, apple wine slushies, local beers and food to visitors.
David Tripp, Gordon's son, created Hard Pressed Cidery at Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
Cider donuts ($4.50 for six): Of course you’re coming here for the apples, but you really should stop into the store and pick up some cider donuts. They come in three flavors: plain, cinnamon, and sugar.
The folks in the back room churn these out nonstop on weekends. They’ll make upwards of 4,000 donuts in a day. But that’s a good thing because when you walk in, you’re going to get donuts right out of the fryer. That’s the best way to eat these things. (But they’re pretty darn good the next morning, I’ll admit.)
A hot fresh cider donut at Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
If the line seems long, walk around the store. You’ll find other produce, condiments and cheese from Owen Orchards and nearby farms. I sprung $5.95 for a 15-ounce jar of their hot apple salsa. They have milder varieties, but I couldn’t pass up a salsa made with apples right outside the door mixed with habanero and jalapeño peppers.
I also bought a ¼ peck (6 pieces) of Owen peaches for $4. Gordon said their peaches are unlike the fruit you’ll find in the stores because while they’re just as soft and velvety, the juice doesn’t run down your chin when you bit into it. He’s right. Best peach I’ve ever had outside of Georgia.
Since the apple-picking season runs directly into the pumpkin season, this place has you covered. It has two pumpkin patches, one for pick-your-own, and one for the farmers to do the work for you.
It looks like it’s been a good year for pumpkins. Right now, you can get a “medium” pumpkin for $5 or five of them for $20. Medium? They’re pretty big.
Owen Orchards in the Town of Sennett.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com
While the orchard has only been open a few weeks this season, Gordon can already see a difference in the business. Because of Covid-19, they’re not getting the school groups coming in for field trips. “And that’s too bad because a lot of kids never get to see a real working farm and experience something like this,” he said.
At the same time, he’s seen more families stopping by. He figures the lack of a State Fair contributed to that uptick.
The Details
The venue: Owen Orchards, 8174 Grant Ave., Weedsport, 315-252-4097
Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9-6 Saturdays, 9-5 Sundays. The store is open mid-August through mid-March.
Credit cards? Yes
Access to disabled? Yes
Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com.
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