Eating and drinking our way around Seneca And Cayuga Lakes

Gorgeous weather, perfect for a Finger Lakes food and drink crawl, starting with Apples and Moore which was as miserly as I remembered, with no samples to determine if you wanted to buy a huge bag of apples – the only option available in the shop. (Also, dog-unfriendly. Theyallowed out of the car despite the ample grounds.)

But we learned that if we picked our own, we could sample a few varieties. Our favorites weren’t readily available. (It’s too early for the fabulous snapdragon apple I discovered two years ago. It’s available in late September.) We did enjoy some delicous apple cider donuts and the glorious view of orchards dotted with red apples and the lake valley in the distance.

Next stop: Two Goats Brewery, on the east side Seneca Lake, which has a phenomenal view of the lake and valley beyond. We had roast beef sandwiches with mayo and horseradish on a chewy roll, and Golden Crush hazy IPA. then onto my favorite spot – Finger Lakes Cider House which is between the two lakes in another gorgeous spot, with a cut flower operation, a good gift shop, excellent food, friendly and dog-welcoming staff. We had a house flight cider, with our favs: honeyoye and fruit of the bloom.And a cheese board of Lively Run Cheeses, also local (and a place we’ve visited on the crawl in the past.)

Last stop, Trumansburg, a quick stop at our favorite shop Sundrees and then on to the Wednesday night farmers market, which is refreshingly low-key and counter culture.(Word has it the Ithaca Farmers Market has become too popular, leading to weekend traffic jams.) In T-burg, a bluegrass band played inside a red-topped wooden gazebo, while a food truck sold mean-looking fried chicken, and other vendors sold exotic garlic varieties, fancy slices of cake, excellent focaccia, late season tomatoes and basil.