Black Dirt Country...I don't think most people are aware that New York state has its very own gourmet onion country. About 65 miles away, up around Pine Island, New York in Orange County is an area called "black dirt country" where the best onions in New York come from. It's unmistakable when you are out driving because it is a large flat area of black dirt, with huge onion farms to the horizon. It's the lakebed left by a glacier lake about 10,000 years ago. The town of Pine Island is literally an island in the middle of the old prehistoric lake. Apparently, leaves and vegetation dropped into the lake forming the thick layer of black muck. Clients of mine have a house on high ( normal) ground nearby and they told me they are forbidden to take any of dirt from the lakebed and that the black dirt land may only be used for farming. The nearest big town in Middletown- which is not in black dirt country. Yesterday we ended up at an Orchard store- Soon's Orchard off Route 6 near blackdirt country, where I bought 10 pounds of grade AA black dirt country onions for $2.59. Soon's is memorable for its unlimited samples of cider donuts. They also had cheap winter squashes, pumpkins fresh vegetables and about 15 varieties of Apples. Winesap, Northern Spy, Macouns, RedCoats, and all the more common varieites like MacIntosh, Empire and Cortlands. There are also big bags of "Utility Apples" by variety, and I got a bag of Utility Redcoats for cooking. They looked great, just as good as the other apples, very large, and make nice apple sauce. In spite of very dank weather, the leaves were lovely going from the Palisades parkway over Route 6 and west on Roiute 17 and 6. They will be gone very soon- perhaps mostly by next week end if it's windy with rain this week. It's almost Halloween, and 2004 is almost over.