A few weekends ago I spent Sunday afternoon at Blue Hill Farm at Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, NY. The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a working farm that provides much of the food for Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Blue Hill's New York City location. Located just north of the city in Westchester County, Stone Barns is about an hour from NYC by car or and hour and a half if you take Metro North, making it a super easy day trip.

We spent a few hours strolling through the fields and checking out the different livestock outposts around the farm. As a serious fan of all things cute and tiny, the number of baby animals was kind of overwhelming but in like, a really, really good way. The only downside being that I now have about 75 nearly identical photos of chicks hopping around and drinking out of little chick-sized troughs. I honestly couldn't help myself.

After wandering the grounds and getting splashed by some piglets cooling off in the mud, we had lunch in the cafe, which serves prepared food and baked goods. I recommend taking home a few jars of homemade jam (for yourself and/or to give as gifts) and grabbing a cookie or two for the road. There's also a farmer's market on Sundays where you can buy fresh produce, meat, and eggs from the farm as well as baked goods and dairy products from other local sources.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a foodie's holy grail--which explains why tables at the restaurant book up as much as two months in advance. For the full farm-to-table experience, plan your trip ahead and book a table for dinner in the dining room. There is no menu; diners simply receive a "farmer's feast" tasting menu of dishes that showcase the farm's freshest seasonal ingredients. Just make sure to pack ya fancy clothes to change into after getting dirty on the farm. And also pack a credit card that can withstand a little damage....

There's a lot to see in the Westchester/Hudson Valley area and with places like Dia:Beacon, Storm King Art Center, and Philip Johnson's Glass House nearby, you could easily put together a culturally-enriching weekend agenda. Conveniently, Blue Hill at Stone Barns has a concierge that can help make lodging and transportation arrangements should you choose to make a weekend of your visit.