Taste the Seasons
Families who want to experience farm life will have a great time, any time, at Critz Farms, just south of the charming lakeside village of Cazenovia in Central New York. Critz Farms is family owned and managed by Juanita and Matthew Critz. Their three children, Patrick, James and Jessica, also work on the 325-acre property, some of which is leased out to other farmers.
Visits are educational, entertaining and, best of all, tasty. Harvest time — from September to late October — brings hayrides to pumpkin patches and apple orchards where visitors can pick their own produce. See what happens to the juiciest apples at the farm’s Harvest Moon Cider Mill, where a clanging antique apple press turns the fruit into a favorite fall beverage.
Holiday season is a great time to visit the Balsam Barn Gift Shop to find tree ornaments and small toys or to comb the outdoor rows of evergreens and chop down your Christmas tree.
Late winter and early spring also find the farm going full tilt, turning out 80 gallons of amber-colored, New York state maple syrup every day. Visit mid-afternoon to watch the steam rise from a large aluminum tank as the day’s sugar taps are boiled down into the sweet, sticky topping that’s perfect for pancakes.
Summer brings a chance to get lost in the Elephan-Tastic Zoo Maze, a series of field paths that trace out the figure of a giant pachyderm. Educational group tours can be scheduled year-round. And every weekend brings the appetizing pleasures of franks, burgers, chili, sausage, fritters, fresh baked cookies and pies at the Critz Café.
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