25 Oct North Fork Holiday Shopping
Have you started thinking about your holiday shopping yet? Long Island’s North Fork is your go-to location for all kinds of great gifts, especially for the upcoming holidays! If you’re looking for any kind of artisanal goods, from cheese and bread to pies and jams, or from wines to handmade crafts, the North Fork has it all for you! We’ve pulled together a list of great North Fork locations that are absolute musts for your shopping list this season—we hope you love them! And where better to stay than Hotel Indigo East End during your holiday shopping weekend? We’re running holiday shopping weekend specials, so be sure to call us at (631) 369-2200 to book your reservation today!
Cheeses, Vinegars, and Olive Oils:
Catapano Dairy Farm, 33705 North Rd., Peconic, open 10-5 daily. Catapano Dairy Farm has a variety of cheeses, yogurts, and fudge, all made from farm-raised goats’ milk. If you’ve never given goat’s milk products a chance, you just have to, because you’ll be surprised to find the deliciousness you’ve been missing out on!
The Village Cheese Shop, 105 Love Lane, Mattituck, M-Th 10-5:30pm, F 10-6pm, Sat 9-6pm, Sun 10-5pm. The Village Cheese Shop is a quaint little spot on adorable Love Lane, which is a great spot to spend the afternoon in general. They have a cheese bar that’s stocked with new options every week, and are operated by a friendly staff who’s full of information and a ton of samples for you to try to help you find the cheese that’s right for you. They also have pastas, extra virgin olive oils, vinegars, and other locally produced products. They take custom orders for cheese platters and baskets, too, so make sure to get your order in!
Wickham’s Fruit Farm, 28700 Main Rd, Cutchogue, M-Sat 9-4, Closed Sun. Wickham’s Fruit Farm sells an assortment of specialty cheeses, as well as goat cheese from local farms, including feta, alfresco, and chevre. They also carry a collection of aged balsamic vinegars and extra virgin olive oils.
A Taste of the North Fork, 53975 Main Rd, Southold, 11-5pm daily. A Taste of the North Fork sells an incredible variety of products, so we’re going to wind up listing them more than once (just so you know you’re not reading things wrong later on!). They carry premium wine vinegar that is carefully aged and flavored with fresh, handpicked herbs from certified organic gardens. Their wine vinegar is made on Long Island’s North Fork, and never uses sugar or preservatives. They also create their own homemade blend of rosemary-infused extra virgin olive oil, for which they use only the finest Italian oil as a base.
Pies, Breads, Jams, Jellies, and More:
The Blue Duck Bakery Café, 56275 Main Rd., Southold. The Blue Duck Bakery Café bakes fresh, homemade bread daily. On said bread, they craft a variety of sandwiches available in their café, along with homemade soups and quiche. While grabbing a bite there on your shopping outing, you can also indulge in a coffee, tea, or cappuccino. For dessert you can choose between gelato or any of their amazing bakery items—cannolis, eclairs, napoleons, cookies, pies, muffins, and more! All of their baked goods are prepared on premises, fresh, daily, and are available to be taken home to share with friends and family!
Briermere Farms, 4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 9-5pm daily, ‘til 5:30 on weekends. Briermere Farms is another spot to go for homemade pies, breads, and other baked goods. Their pie list for 2013 includes: apple, blueberry, cherry, peach, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, blackberry, apricot, boysenberry, pear, pumpkin, lemon meringue, coconut meringue, key lime, and an assortment of flavored cream pies and mixed fruit pies.
Returning to two of our previously mentioned businesses, Wickham’s Fruit Farm also carries a variety of handmade pies that are baked fresh daily, and use homegrown fruit! They also carry jams, jellies, and preserves, all homemade without preservatives. A Taste of the North Fork has jams and jellies as well, which are all handmade in small batches, using homegrown, organic fruits and flowers. Some of their unique jelly flavors include currant, hot pepper, lemon verbena, mint, north fork white wine, north fork red wine, and rugosa rose, all of which are made without preservatives. In addition, they carry a variety of chutneys, marmalades, relishes, mustards, dessert toppings, vinaigrettes, sweets, spices, salts, teas, and seasonal products like bread & butter pickles, pumpkin pickles, and pumpkin preserves!
Fruits, Vegetables, and Other Farm Products:
Ty Llwyd, 5793 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 8-6pm M-Sat. This Welsch farm has been situated on the North Fork since 1870! Ty Llwyd’s farmstand carries fresh brown eggs, seasonal vegetables, hay, raw milk, and potatoes.
Sang Lee Farms, 25180 Sound Ave., Peconic, open Sun-Th 9-5pm, F/Sat 9-5:30pm in October. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday in November. Sang Lee Farms is certified organic, and carries an expansive variety of vegetables and herbs. Currently in season, they have: cherry and heirloom tomatoes, Napa cabbage, fingerling/Yukon/Adirondack blue potatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, kimchee, carrots, mesclun greens, scallions, tatsoi, arugula, kale, radishes, beets, baby bok choy, onions, eggplant, peppers, and mustard greens. See? We weren’t kidding when we said expansive! In addition, they have supplies for you to stock up on for your own herb garden for the spring, including rosemary, thyme, sage, onion chive, mint, oregano, lavender, tarragon, and hot Thai pepper plants.
Blossom Meadow, 31855 Main Rd., Cutchogue, 11-6pm daily. This lovely little store is the face of an operation consisting of over eight million busy bees! They produce raw, unfiltered, all natural artisanal honey. They also carry a number of beeswax products, including crayons, candles, lip balm, and hand/body products! What neat gifts!
Wines:
McCall Wines, 22600 Rt. 25, Cutchogue, Th-M 12-5:30pm. As you may remember from our blog about the Harvest East End festival, McCall Wines was the gracious host! Their tasting room is a converted old potato barn, which had previously been used as a horse stable. The ambiance connects guests with the deep agricultural history of Long Island’s North Fork. They carry a variety of wines, including: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Ben’s Bordeaux Blend, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc. Their vineyard is based on French tradition, which means their vines are spaced closer than most other North Fork vineyards.
Croteaux Vineyards, 1450 South Harbor Road, Southold, 12-5 F-M. The tasting barn at Croteaux is housed in an 1800’s carriage barn! This vineyard specializes in Rosé wines, and carries Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Franc Rosé varieties.
Handmade Gifts by Local Artists:
East End Arts Gallery Holiday Gift Boutique, 133 E. Main Street, Riverhead, from November 15th – December 22nd, Tu-F 10-6pm, Sat 10-4pm, Sun 12-4pm, Closed Monday. This Holiday Boutique will feature hundreds of handmade items, including holiday ornaments, greeting cards, jewelry, wearables, ceramics, and other crafts. The Boutique will fill all three of East End Arts’ galleries completely, and will be filled with visitors from all over Long Island who come out to the North Fork to enjoy the crafts of local artists and artisans! There’s no better place for unique holiday gifts than this!
Don’t forget to call Hotel Indigo East End at (631) 369-2200 for details on our holiday shopping weekend special rates and deals!