Golden Delicious

How you like them apples, Kinderhook?

By Alan Katz

Everyone has their very own favorite apple orchard in the mountains. Having three kids, we went to so many different venues over the years in Rockland, Orange and Sullivan Counties. Sometimes from New York City, sometimes from here in Columbia County.

They all offer their variety of delicious apples and a fun afternoon of conquering the trees, carting the conquests to the check out and then getting to enjoy the room filling aromas and visuals in the various bowls around the house. (Because, like so many others, we always picked far too many apples).

We happened upon Golden Harvest in Kinderhook two decades ago. Some of the the sweetest fruit Golden Harvest Farms knows its way around cider—and donuts and barbecue brisket. most delicious apples and inviting rows of orchards robust with fruit, and so much more. Most offer cider, here it’s rich and distinctly refreshing. Donuts from that cider are warm, sugary and especially delicious— firm and cakey. Flakey, just picked and baked fruit pies, including strawberry rhubarb and those muffins, particularly that orange cranberry walnut wonder.

And over the past few years, one of the five sons of the second-generation owners have added a fantastic distillery—vodka, gin, brandy—made from surplus apples (of course) as well as cider vinegars and locally curated beers on tap. And to top it all off, the other sons perfected a world class barbecue joint. What? Ribs, brisket, jerk chicken and awesome fresh-cut fries with a just spicy enough jerk seasoning. Yes, you can get them plain, too.

So, our annual family apple picking adventure grew up with us and is now a fullservice dining adventure.

You can and will find your own favorite, but you’ll do yourself a favor to venture to Golden Harvest Farms/Harvest BBQ/Harvest Spirits. The triple threat right here in your own backyard. OK, my backyard…your mountains’ ideal fall pit stop.

By Robin Baron

Here’s the goal: inspire you to help make your home everything

With my decades of experience owning my firm, Robin Baron Design, based in New York City, my knowledge of designing and building new homes from the ground up as well as handling major (and minor) renovations, I bring all my passion and sure-fire tips and make it available to you.

My work has always been all about my clients, who they are, how they live, what they love and what their dreams and goals are. I believe that practicality and functionality are as important as the aesthetics, and they should all be considered to develop the foundation of any design, to create a truly fabulous living space…one that’s uniquely yours.

Let’s jump in, shall we?

For smaller, darker rooms, use colors with more depth. Paint the walls a deeper color, using colors that have more pigment, our expert says.

Over the years, people started realizing how important interior design was to their well-being and lifestyle—how a home could make you feel empowered in your life. It’s gotten to the point that when I go to a party, as soon as someone finds out that I’m an interior designer, I get inundated with questions—not unlike a doctor continuingly getting asked about someone’s health concerns by someone they just met.

One of the most common questions I get asked is about paint. We all know how important painting a room can be. It’s one of the quickest, most cost-effective ways you can give your room a new look. What most people don’t know, however, is how to choose the right hue, or tone, for a specific space.

Now you do:

• Work with the natural light in a room, don’t work against it

• For smaller, darker rooms, use colors with more depth. Paint the walls a deeper color, using colors that have more pigment. Your inclination may be to use lighter colors to make the space look bigger but go with the flow and make the space cozy and more intimate

• On the flip side, for larger rooms with lots of natural light, go lighter with your paint colors. Lean into the more expansive feeling of this space

And, of course, don’t forget the ceiling, the fifth wall! The ceiling is an often-missed opportunity to make a statement. You can punctuate a look or add an unexpected twist to the room. And if you’re loving a white ceiling…know that all whites aren’t the same. There’s something special about white-on-white spaces that use multiple whites that all play off each other.

Have an interior design question? Send them to editorial@themountainsmedia.com