What says, “It’s autumn!” better than apples and cranberries?
Well, in New Jersey, home to top growers of apples and cranberries, very little speaks to the season better than the beloved fruits. Except maybe pumpkins. But we’ve got a holiday that celebrates them just around the corner.
Today, we’ll talk apples and cranberries. There are festivals celebrating them this weekend at two of the prettiest spots in the Garden State.
In Stockton, at the southwestern end of bucolic Hunterdon County, the Stockton Market is joining forces Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21 with Ironbound Cider for Cider Fest. It will take place at the market, 19 Bridge Street in Stockton, from noon to 8 pm on Friday and from 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday. On tap will be Ironbound’s hard cider and various foods made with apples.
Admission to the Cider Fest is free. For more information, call Stockton Market at 609-608-2824 or visit stocktonmarket.com.
Meanwhile, in the heart of NJ’s cranberry country, the 34th annual Chatsworth Cranberry Festival will take place on Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22 from 9 am to 4 pm throughout downtown Chatsworth.
The festival, which spotlights all things cranberry, is presented by the Festival Committee of Chatsworth. It’s a tribute to the Pine Barrens that offers an education in Pine Barrens culture.
Admission to the festival is free. For more information, visit cranfest.org.
Other events of interest
Act now for this just-in sale on a special cooking class taking place tonight:
Tonight, Tuesday, October 17, a Chinese Cooking Class led by chef Sean Yan will take place at Heirloom Kitchen, 3853 Route 516 in Old Bridge starting at 6:30 pm. Yan, who grew up in a Chinese home, will share traditional techniques and flavors. Students will learn to cook pan-fried beef dumplings, Sichuan eggplant in garlic sauce, stir-fried pork with Chinese celery, shiitake and bean curd, sesame noodles with cucumber and taro tapioca sweet soup. The cost of the class is regularly $85 and a handful of seats were just added at $72. To reserve, call 732-727-9444 or visit heirloomkitchen.com.
Wine geek alert: If you are a bona-fide wine geek who is into very limited-edition wines, check out this very unusual wine dinner slated for Thursday, November 2 at 6:30 pm at Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, 110 South Street in Morristown. Stephen Hagen, of the cult Oregon winery Antiquum Farm, will be on hand to lead the discussion at this dinner. Limited seating. To get details about the wines, dinner and cost, and to reserve, call 973-644-3180. For updates visit jockeyhollowbarandkitchen.com.