Meadowbrook Farm — Local services in Town of Wappinger

My husband & are seniors who were sheltered in 7mths. We have just begun to venture out to places that assure social distancing. We called farm before going, & were comfortable driving 45 minutes to go apple picking after we were assured they followed strict Covid19 precautions. People wkg at orchard were lovely! Majority of people respectfully wore masks, but plenty of social distancing in orchards. We wanted to pick up some apple cider donuts. Sign outside small market says to wear a mask, & socially distance. They should have someone standing outside monitoring how many customers go in, & that they were wearing masks! There was a young man at register who wasn't wearing a mask. No one said anything to him. Woman checking him out wore her mask under her nose. My husband & I put our items on shelf and proceeded to leave, which was difficult because so many people were coming into the small area. I just called, & the young lady that answered the phone had the nerve to say we can't make anyone wear a mask. People say if someone has a health reason for not wearing a mask, they are exempt. Listen, if you have health concerns...STAY HOME!! I replied that no one even requested him to do so. Its a N.Y.S law people!! If someone refuses to wear a mask you can ask them to leave, & if they give you a hard time, you can call law enforcement. She said this is they're busiest time. So its about money? Guess they'll continue to be lax until there's covid exposure. What a shame a lovely afternoon ended on a negative note. Do yourself a favor, go somewhere that your health is respected! This is a deadly disease folks and ...

One if my favorite places to go for locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as locally made products such as honey, jams, and a myriad of sauces. They are open year round, and have whatever may be in season at the time.

Their pumpkin selections are great, albeit a tad expensive. Same goes for other gourds.

Apple picking is alright. Their selection is good, although their orchard zone, where they allow picking anyway, is very small compared to other local orchards (Barton and Fishkill Farms, for example). They also tend to have a staff member out there who will police you on how to properly pick apples. "Grab and twist. Do not tug." Took him 10 minutes to tell us those six words. Talked to me and my fiancee, who are both grown adults nearing our 30s, like we were 12. There is no camping, picnics, or loitering allowed. You get in, get your apples/pears/etc, and get out. Picking apples is VERY expensive. You're honestly better off buying a half peck bag or two of pre-picked apples in the shop.

The livestock they have are adorable. You can buy corn by the bag or by the handful to feed the ducks, chickens, geese, goats, and on occasion, baby calves, depending on the year/season. The goats and cows are very friendly, will come up to you, and eat out...

Be very careful when picking apples. $1.99 a pound adds up VERY QUICKLY! Spent $60 for two bags of apples. I could have spent $25 for the same number of apples if we had bought them at their store instead of picked them ourselves. So, just be aware that you are paying a very high premium to live out your farmer fantasy. It's fun to do, I'm not going to lie about that. I just wish I would have paid more attention to how many apples we were picking and how much they weigh. Bring your own very small bag lol. Seriously like less than eight apples. Everything else at their store is also very expensive as well. If you are under the impression that farm stands are supposed to be cheaper because they are cutting out the middleman... You are mistaken. I think that they take advantage of people who get swept up in Fall Euphoria," enjoy the novelty of buying "farm fresh" or are just people who will spend unreasonable amounts of money to entertain their children. Like I said, it was fun but at a cost that discourages me...