A Hudson Valley Almanac day-trip guide
Putnam County is one of the smallest in these guides, but it punches well above its size, because this is where the Hudson River squeezes between the mountains and the scenery turns spectacular. Cold Spring is one of the most charming river villages anywhere, the farmers market may be the prettiest in the valley, and a cluster of farms — some worked since before the Revolution — fills in the rest. It's a scenic river-village-and-farm day more than a sprawling farm loop, and it's an easy one to do without a car. Here's a Saturday in the Highlands.
Start at the Cold Spring Farmers Market at Boscobel — held year-round on Saturdays on the grounds of the historic Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, with the Hudson Highlands rising across the river. It's genuinely one of the most scenic markets in the region, with produce, meat, dairy, and baked goods from local farms. Among the vendors, look for Hudson Highlands Garlic, a small grower of heirloom and specialty garlic.
Just up the road, Glynwood Farm Store is a USDA-certified-organic, animal-welfare-certified farm store at the Glynwood estate, selling seasonal produce, pasture-raised meats, and eggs — the retail face of a major regional farming institution. For garden plants and a roadside farm stand that's been a fixture since 1982, Vera's Marketplace is right on Route 9, and Cold Spring Apothecary makes small-batch botanical skincare.
Cold Spring's compact Main Street runs straight down to the Hudson, lined with antiques shops, cafés, and river views toward Storm King and West Point. It's the natural place for lunch, and if you're up for it, the trailheads for Breakneck Ridge and Bull Hill are right here — some of the most popular (and steep) hikes in the valley. Boscobel itself, a beautifully restored Federal-era mansion with formal gardens above the river, is worth the visit even if it's not a market day.
Head east across the county to Brewster, where Putnam's farm country is. Tilly Foster Farm is the county's flagship agricultural center — 258 acres of organic gardens, hiking trails, and working farm animals (alpacas, pigs, horses), with hands-on programs and seasonal events, and one of the most accessible farm-education spots in the lower valley. Nearby, Ryder Farm has been in the same family since 1795 — certified organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers, with a CSA and on-farm sales at the Ryder Farm Cottage. In the fall, Salinger's Orchard sells apples, cider, and pumpkins from its farm stand on Guinea Road.
If it's Sunday rather than Saturday, the year-round Hudson Valley Regional Farmers Market in Brewster runs 10 to 2. And Green Chimneys in Brewster — a remarkable nonprofit pairing a therapeutic school with a working farm and a licensed wildlife-rehabilitation center — holds public education events and programs worth catching when they're on.
The Boscobel market is the rare year-round, every-Saturday anchor, which makes Cold Spring the easiest base for the day. Here's the best part: Cold Spring sits right on Metro-North's Hudson Line, and the village is entirely walkable from the station — you can do the market, Main Street, the riverfront, and a hike without ever getting in a car. The Brewster farms are the other half of the county and add a good 30–40 minutes of driving, so on a tight day, pick the Highlands or the farm belt and save the other. Salinger's and the orchards are seasonal, peaking in fall.
The full Putnam lineup is on the Almanac: farms & food and markets.
A river between the mountains, a market with a view, a farm older than the country — one very good Saturday.