Indian Ladder Farms is a family-owned farm in Altamont, NY. This centennial farm was founded in 1916. It boasts more than 90 acres of pure excitement as visitors are offered to pick their berries, pumpkins, apples, and other fruits while getting knowledge through their educational programs and tours.
The orchards produce more than 40 apple varieties, and its Biergarten is surrounded by beautiful orchards of apples extending to many acres of land. The Biergarten also overlooks hop yard, and the Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery unlocked its doors for a true farm-to-glass escapade in 2016.
The Farm Market
Indian Ladder Farms market opens from April to December and offers freshly produced fruits and vegetables grown on the far. It also offers meat and dairy products from the neighboring farms, and the bakery offers the famous apple cider doughnuts of Indian Ladder Farms.
Pastries, pies, and desserts are also available in the bakery, along with honey obtained by bees pollinating the orchard. Besides honey, local maple and its products and preserves are available along with packaged foods produced regionally.
The Farm Market also hosts a gift shop that offers farm merchandise with various gifts, books, and unique farm-themed toys.
Educational Programs
Multiple educational programs are offered to farm visitors, including Farm Tours, which highlights seasonal activities and engages people of different ages. Children’s daycare, special needs groups, classrooms, senior citizens outings, and officer retreats are the kind of groups that frequently like to visit the Indian Ladder Farms.
The Springs Tours at the farm exhibits educational sessions showcasing baby animals and adult livestock. Also, it includes a Honeybee Tour, where visitors can view the observation beehive and watch the bees working in the blooming orchard.
The Apple Farm Tour teaches participants about apples’ growing, harvesting, and packaging procedures and how they are made into apple cider. Berry Picking, picnic areas, and a walk on their Nature Trial are also attractive features of this farm that are available to visitors and tour groups.
Crops Grown at Indian Ladder Farms
Several crop variety grows at Indian Ladder Farms, but the most popular are apples, as 60 out of 300 acres of the farm are dedicated to apple orchards. More than 40 apples are grown at the farm, from popular ones like Snapdragon and Honeycrisp to primary varieties like Cortland and Macintosh.
The farm harvests apples from August through October and offers them for sale in their Farm Market and Pick Your Own.
Besides apples, pears and plums also grow at the farm in several varieties. The seasonal summer vegetables are also grown along with raspberries, blueberries, and black raspberries, and in fall, Indian Ladder Farms offer their pumpkins for cooking and carving.
Indian Ladder Farms Pick-Your-Own
The Pick-Me-Up fruit program is available seven days a week from 9 am to 4:30 pm, when the weather permits.
The fruits grown in this Eco Certified program are maintained to ecological standards and are tailored to local climate changes. The Integrated Pest Management principles allow the farmers to grow their fruits safely and sustainably, producing delicious apples.
The varieties of apples available in certain seasons are as follows:
1. Early September
The sweet and tarty Jonamac apples, best eaten raw, are available along with the juicy and tender McIntosh used to fill pies, make sauces, or eat raw.
2. Mid-September
In Mid-September, the crispy and juicy Honeycrisp apples are predicted that are baked into pie fillings and made into sauces. Also, Gala apples are available as a premium variety.
3. Late September
The juicy and tender Cortland, sweet Macoun, tarty Acey Mac, and the crispy Wonder Fuji are varieties of apples in Late September.
4. Early October
This season, Snapdragons are available along with Kendall, an apple with a tart blend, and Empire, which has a sweet and crispy texture.
5. Mid October
Cameo apples that are crispy and sweet and the juicy Red Delicious are available in Mid-October. Furthermore, Golden Delicious and Jonagold are also predicted apple varieties.
6. Late October
In late October, the farm offers Fuji, a juicy and crispy apple variety, and Rome, a mildly tart and firm apple.
Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery
The Indian ladder farms cidery and Brewery is nestled amidst fields of the apple tree at the foot of the Helderberg Escarpment.
Cidery and Brewery opened its gates to the public on 1st may 2016, offering a tiny tasting room on the porch in the Farm Market. The word spread and the tasting room of ILF Cidery and Brewery became popular as it outgrew the small porch and moved to the lower levels of the farm.
The expansion of Cidery and Brewery eventually led to the development of the Biergarten, which has a pavilion and is complete with fire pits and a sound stage.
The Biergarten allows visitors to enjoy their view of Hop Yard and their preferred beverage in hand so that they can witness how hops are grown to curate their beers, along with the apple trees used to make their delicious ciders.
Events Set at Indian Ladder Farms
For private events and memorable reunions, the Indian ladder farms offer a dramatic setting credited to the Helderberg Escarpment. The limestone cliff-face is visible from every vantage point on the Indian ladder farms and offers a scenic backdrop for events and photographs.
The farms also host several special events throughout the year ranging from Hawaiian Oktoberfest, Howl O’ Ween costume contest, and Capital District Renaissance Festival.
The farm also ensures proper education of all its visitors, as they host multiple educational programs like Baby Animal Days, a spring event featuring ducklings, goslings, lambs, goat kids, calves, and chicks so that children can play on their field trips or when they are visiting with their families.
The Barn School is another facility offered by Indian ladder farms where children can enroll in educational classes to learn about the care of livestock, the journey of crops from farm to table, and harvesting apples.
Conclusion
The sprawling fields of orchards and trees, along with the beneficial educational program, make Indian ladder farms a perfect recreation spot for you and your families as it offers something exciting for every visitor that visits it.