AN APPLE A DAY…

Apples are good for you. They’re high in fiber, keep your gums healthy, and sniffing them might relieve migraines. But they also provide inspiration for some of the strangest and greatest. The world’s longest apple peel was created in 1976 by a then 16-year-old Kathy Wafler Madison in Rochester. It was 172 feet, 4 inches long, according to:

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com.

Yes, it does exist. The heaviest apple weighed 4 lbs 1 ounce and was grown by Chisato Iwasaki in Japan. In 63 seconds, a Belgian man split 35 apples with his bare hands. So, whatever you have in mind, here are a few places to get your apples:

FORT SALONGA FARM

30 Meadow Glen Rd, Northport. 631-269-9666. www.fortsalongafarm.com

This is the closest u-pick apple orchard you’ll find coming from Nassau County. Fruit begins about 18” from the ground on their dwarfed apple trees, perfect for small children. They also offer u-pick raspberries, pumpkins and honey created on the premises by their very busy bees.

MILK PAIL FARM & ORCHARD

1346 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill. 631-537-2565. www.milk-pail.com

They have more than 20 varieties of apples and some very unusual and multi-colored pumpkins, some weighing up to 150 lbs. They also have squash, gourds, cider, pies and doughnuts.

HANK’S PUMPKIN FARM

240 Montauk Hwy, Watermill. 631-726-4667. www.hankspumpkintown.com

Corn mazes, wagon rides, tractor train rides, calf roping, cow milking, 50-foot tube slide, pedal cart race track, sand box, corn swing, duck races and fresh roasted popcorn—and that’s all before you even get to the orchard.

SEVEN PONDS ORCHARD

Seven Ponds Road, Water Mill. 631-726-8015.

Pick your own apples and raspberries and then hit up the 5-acre corn maze, hay rides, homemade pies, jams, bread & butter pickles, candy apples and popcorn at their farm market. There’s also a picnic area in the orchard to enjoy your lunch and take in the view.

LEWIN FARMS

Sound Avenue, Baiting Hollow. 631-929-4327. www.lewinfarms.com

Lewin Farms was the first pick-your-own farm on Long Island and they have dozens of apple varieties to choose from. They also carry a full line of farm fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables at their huge farm stand, which long ago outgrew that title and has turned into a huge indoor marketplace.

DAVIS PEACH FARM

Hulse Landing Road, Wading River. 631-929-1115. www.davispeachfarm.com

Aside from 10 varieties of apples, the Davis Peach farm offers nectarines, plums and 70 varieties of peaches, including  80 trees of “donut peaches,” flat peaches you can push the pit out of with your thumb and eat like doughnuts. Then there are the special hybrids like the plumcots, pluots, and apriums that are hard to find anywhere else.

WICKHAM’S FRUIT FARM

Route 25, Cutchogue. 631-734-6441. www.wickhamsfruitfarm.com

U-pick is only available on Saturdays at this historic farm, but it’s worth adjusting your schedule to get there. The farm, which also has apples and raspberries, sits on a beautiful waterfront and is featured in  the book Heaven and Earth: The Last Farmers of the North Fork by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Wick.

OUTHOUSE ORCHARDS

Last weekend we drove upstate. It was beautiful—rolling hills everywhere you look, fog dangling by threads in little pockets over trees just starting to turn color, their leaves shimmering under the setting sun. Beautiful. We even saw cows. Many, many cows. We open the window, breathe in the crisp autumn air and smile as a half-dollar sized brown spider with thighs blows in the car. As we grappled with this 6-legged beast 1/200^th of our size, we decided we’d never travel beyond Manhattan again, but then we remembered Outhouse Orchards. Don’t be intimidated by the name. It’s a family-owned and operated orchard in Westchester that also makes fresh cider, funnel cake,  and doughnuts hot off the press that will ruin Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme and whatever else you’re used to, for life. We apologize in advance.

*Many orchards temporarily close when there is no ripe fruit for picking, so call before you leave.