Unfortunately, the Stowe's farm I remember from my childhood is no more. Pois'n ivy grows thickly under almost every tree in the orchard. Families with children were unknowingly traipsing through it while picking apples; the apples on the ground were sitting in pois'n ivy. It's easy to overlook as the grass under the trees is uncut. God forbid one of the children picks up an apple from a nest of pois'n ivy and eats it. The staff at the orchard, when I spoke with them, indicated they were aware of the problem and shrugged it off as unavoidable. Come on? this is no uncontrolled area of wilderness we are talking about; this is a local farm that caters to the public. A responsible and well-run farm would take measures to eradicate the plant from their orchard, or at least from their public areas. Stowe's is, unfortunately, not concerned with the safety of the very people they seek to attract. Sadly, I won't return and I recommend going elsewhere for your fall activities.
more