Get 'em while they're hot: 3 spots to grab cider donuts in the mid-Hudson Valley
They’re a Hudson Valley fall favorite. For some, a necessity as the weather turns colder.
Apple cider doughnuts draw on New York's apple-producing prowess and the fall season's call for all things cozy and warm.
Here are a few of the places where you can find apple cider doughnuts before the season runs out.
Tantillo’s Farm Market
Where: 730 State Route 208, Gardiner
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until Nov. 23. Closed Wednesdays.
More information: 845-256-9109 and tantillofarm.com/
Tantillo’s will “never sell a doughnut that isn’t fresh,” according to Jeannine Ridgeway, the third generation of Tantillo to run the family farm. Even those with slight imperfections are thrown out as they come out of the fryer.
The cider doughnuts are made fresh throughout the day using cider pressed at Minard Farms in Clintonvale from apples harvested at a variety of local farms, including Tantillo’s.
Hot doughnuts are tossed in cinnamon sugar and served warm from a sliding-door display case that offers only fleeting glimpses of the near-constant doughnut-making operations in the back, which are primarily led by Ridgeway’s husband, Jamie.
Jeannine Ridgeway took over farm stand operations a few years ahead of the retirement of her parents, Len and Beverly Tantillo, in 2020. Now in their 80s, the Tantillos are retired in name only, still helping out almost daily. Their son, Frank, manages the orchards and oversees U-pick operations on the weekends.
The roadside farm stand also offers ice cream throughout the summer and is famous for sundaes made with fruit harvested seasonally on the farm.
Ice cream pies and Tantillo’s signature Ridge Bars – named as an ode to both Ridgeway’s contributions to the business and the scenic Shawangunk Ridge visible on the horizon beyond the farm – are available even after the summer season has ended.
The farm stand offers fresh vegetables including tomatoes, peppers and eggplants while in season. In addition to cider doughnuts sold individually or by the dozen, Tantillo’s also offers made-to-order pies of all kinds, and is now accepting Thanksgiving orders.
DuBois Farms
Where: 209 Perkinsville Road, Highland
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until Nov. 22
More information: 845-795-4037 and duboisfarms.com
Billing itself as one the few first-generation farms in the Hudson Valley, DuBois Farms opened to the public in 2006. The 54-acre plot offers extensive pick-your-own opportunities throughout the summer and fall, including strawberries, nectarines, plums, peaches, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkins and flowers.
In addition to the signature cider doughnut, DuBois’ bakery also offers handmade pies, complemented by fresh ice cream also available on site. Visitors can dine at the farm market café and pizzeria, and the Tavern at DuBois Farms features a variety of local hard ciders, craft beers and wine.
Dressel Farms
Where: 271 State Route 208, New Paltz
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
More information: 845-255-0693 and dresselfarms.com
Operated by three generations of the Dressel family on a farm purchased in 1954, Dressel Farms features 20 different varieties of apples available for U-pick on more than 300 acres.
Each year, the farm ships more than 100,000 bushels of apples – the equivalent of 4 million pounds – to grocery stores along the East Coast.
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The Dressels press their own cider using an antique rack-and-cloth press and a UV sterilization process to help preserve the juice flavor. Hard cider varieties are available at the on-site Kettleborough Cider House from May through November.
The farm kicks off the growing season in June with pick-your-own strawberries, followed by raspberries, blueberries and cherries. The Dressels grow their own zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes and green beans to stock the roadstand throughout the summer, with peaches added as they ripen throughout the summer. In the fall, the farm harvests its own pears, pumpkins, squash, decorative gourds and chestnuts.
Dressel Farms offers apples and cider year round from its winter location just behind the road stand, though cider doughnuts are only available through November.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Three spots to get NY apple cider donuts before the season ends
