Sunflowers and Wine in North Fork
A few months ago Z & I purchased a Jeep. We needed it to travel between Cleveland and NYC during the summer, but we also promised each other that we would take day trips to all the places we said we would and never did the last few years, like Long Island, the Jersey Shore and the Poconos. Finally, we made that promise happen and drove out to North Fork Long Island for a Sunday.
Our main goal was to end up at Martin Sidor Farms in Mattituck, located 1.5 hours outside of our home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We set out at 9:30 am Sunday morning, bagels and iced coffee in hand and agreed to stop at whatever looked interesting along the way. A good day trip is best experienced by setting a goal and keeping an open mind along the way!
As we drove along 495 E I spotted a sign on an overpass that said “BARN SALE” and we got off at exit 69 in Manorville for a barn sale that apparently happens every weekend in the summer. They only took cash and we didn’t have enough to purchased what we liked, but the barn was absolutely worth wandering through! So. Much. Weird. Shit.
Not much further along we found ourselves in Mattituck. The back roads were full of family farms and middle aged tourists on bikes peddling from vineyard to vineyard, so take it slow and stop at all the farm stands! Martin Sidor Farms is a family potato farm that began to struggle a few decades ago. They came up with the genius business plan to start making potato chips in sunflower oil… and the farm began to flourish! They now have multiple potato chip flavors, including my favorite, rosemary & garlic! The created the sunflower oil from their vast fields of sunflowers. Late summer every year they open their flower fields to people for $7 and you can wander through acres of sunflowers that are planted in succession so that they all do not bloom at the same exact time. Cute antique chairs are placed through the field for perfect photo opportunities and for it being a Sunday in August, the farm didn’t feel uncomfortably crowded. We were able to wander for awhile with our pup and capture a few moments.
The original reason I wanted to visit North Fork was Bedell Vineyard. I tried their wine last year for the first time and fell in love and was so excited to have the opportunity to actually visit their farm! Bedell has a lovely tasting room that is air conditioned, a large tent with a bar and lots of tables, and picnic tables on the grass right on the edge of the field of grapes. All of the grapes used to make their wine are grown right on their farm and that is very impressive! We sipped blanc de blanc and sparkling rose on the grass and helped a group play corn hole and they were even dog friendly! And of course we left with a bottle of the sparkling rose to enjoy on our one year wedding anniversary!
After some wine we headed to Greenport for late lunch. The town was bustling and very quaint! We had some suggestions from people we met at Bedell and Sidor Farm, and decided on American Beech restaurant. We were able to use the app Resy to reserve a table, and I was surprised how many restaurants around the area were actually available on the app! The outdoor patio at American Beech was full of people having a great time and a DJ. It had a very vacationy vibe. The inside dining was soo Palm Springs inspired and their chef was even kind enough to come outside to learn more about my food allergies. (he also was excited to see that Z was wearing a Motorhead tee.) The houses of Greenport were darling and the yards were full of wild flowers, hydrangeas, and viney grape arbors. The porches had tiny details, swings, and old stone paths that lead to their sidewalk gates. We will for sure be returning.
We started the return home around 4:30 PM and the drive was a little longer which we expected since it was Sunday evening. Z & I are two weeks away from our one year anniversary and little trips like this make me feel so excited about our life together. And it’s always a good reminder that we don’t need to get on a plane and pack a suitcase in order to get away.
Outfit Details:
satin head band: Zara
sunglasses: Max Mara
jumper: Old Navy
sandals: DNA
