5/5/50

Here are a handful of notes and etceteras that would be too much for an email….

Gifts?

We love cooking — at home, and especially when we’re at the farm. So, if you want to bring a gift, bring us a cookbook. Make a note, in the book or separately, of your favorite recipe as well as any tips or anecdotes that go along with it. (Thanks go to Andy Viner for this idea.)

Rain or Shine

We’re keeping all of our fingers crossed that we’ll have good weather. But things up here are unpredictable… it’s been a very wet summer. We suggest you also bring along some shoes and other gear that can handle a bit of wet grass and weather. We find ourselves wearing rubber boots more than you could imagine.

Here is the current forecast for Saturday.

Getting Here

If you’re driving here, the hardest part of the drive is the traffic getting out of the city. After that, it’s pretty easy. But give yourself plenty of time. And if you’re coming up Saturday, leave early so you can relax once you arrive.

Food

If you want to stop for groceries along the way there’s a Foodtown in Margaretville, or a few miles past Bovina, in Delhi, there’s Good Cheap Food and PriceChopper. And, lots of farm stands. For wine and liquor there’s Wild Common in Andes, and Dixie’s in Delhi.

If you’re looking for restaurants you should definitely book in advance. It’s a busy weekend and things are filling up. Our absolute favorite is Brushland in Bovina. In Andes, Wayside Cider is fantastic (although with a limited menu), and fun, in a small-town-hotel kind-of way is Andes Hotel. For amazing lunches, and supposedly great dinners, go to Table on Ten, though it’s a little further away in Bloomville.

Breakfast? Practically the whole town goes to Russell’s General Store in Bovina. In Andes there’s Two Old Tarts and Woody’s.

Stuff To Do

Want to explore the area? Here are some of our favorite things… we always find amazing stuff at Fisk Barn Antiques in Bovina. Don’t miss Kabinett & Kammer — their last season in Andes. There’s the tiny Stonehouse full of cool stuff in Delhi. Actually, we’re kind-of homebodies when we’re here, so that’s about it. But go into the towns, wander around. Oh - there are some nice hiking trails (though we mostly hike our property). This is an easy one in Andes.

On Saturday from 10-4 there’s the 15th Annual Cauliflower Festival in Margaretville. We’ve never been, so no guarantees on that.

The Great Western Catskills website has lots more events and locations. Or just ask us for specific recommendations. Maybe that’s easiest.

You’re not going to India

And you’re not going to the deli to get bagels. It’s dell-high.

And Bovina is named for all the bovines in the area.

They’re shibboleths.

Social

While it’s generally acknowledged that social media is destroying everything good about the world, it’s also a great way to share the event, and see what each other has posted. Our farm’s hashtag is #thefarmatrussellhill. And for this event, let’s use #5550party.