Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard By Allison Pinski

I stumbled upon the Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard in Fly Creek, NY accidentally. I was searching for an apple orchard open on Sundays that I could visit and pick apples with my mom when she visited for the weekend. Fly Creek was the only orchard I could find that was open on Sundays, and so we drove the 40 minutes to get there.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon when we arrived, and already the Orchard was filled with families. We were confused when we only saw a few old wooden barns, with a large orchard behind it filled with chickens and ducks. We quickly discovered that we could not pick apples, but a store inside offered locally-grown apples and other products. There was a long line alongside the barn, but we quickly entered the store.

And we were pleasantly surprised. The store had almost anything you could want for fall; Halloween decoration (wooden novelty signs, candles, candle-holders), wooden fall decorations and knick-knacks, and food. There was a lot of food.

We passed by large varieties of cheeses, wines, fudges, jams and jellies, and baked goods for purchase. There were many samples offered to taste the different foods (which were all grown and made in New York state), which really drew me in (free food!).

We left with a pound and half of fudge (buy one pound, get ½ a pound free), three bottles of wine, a candied apple, a bad of Horseradish cheese curds, a light-up pumpkin, and a quart of cider. Personally, the cider was my favorite part of the Orchard (and you can even see it being made from the second-level of the building).

According to their website,

“The Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard’s Mill Store Marketplace is the heart and driving force at the Mill. The Michaels Family recognizes that addressing the needs and tastes of their visitors are key to keeping the Mill alive for future generations to enjoy.In so doing they have developed the Mill Store Marketplace into a destination for lovers of everything food. Generous sampling introduces visitors to the wide variety of specialty foods and accessories ranging from sweet and savory dips to fresh apples and produce to baked good. Visitors will taste new flavors to the first time and refresh their memories of favorites.
Partnering with New York State’s Pride of New York program the Store features many items grown and produced throughout the State. Pure maple syrup from Westford, fresh cheese curds from Palatine Bridge, local honey, cake mixes from Rochester, and wines from the Finger Lakes are some of the many products that are ‘bursting with Pride’ from all over New York.” (You can read more about the Marketplace here).

While the Orchard does not offer apple-picking, it was not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I definitely suggest bringing your family (or friends) and spending a few hours looking around, feeding the ducks and chicken, and sampling all of the amazing food.
You can read more about the Fly Creek Cider Mill & Orchard on their website or like their Facebook page.