Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patch Plentiful at Jane and Paul's Farm, Norfolk, Mass.

We had a chance this weekend to visit Jane and Paul's Farm in Norfolk, Mass., and are happy to report that the pumpkin and apple picking opportunities are quite good, at this writing.

This small, friendly family-owned farm offers a good supply of Macoun, Mac, Daybreak and Cortland apples, all within within easy walking distance from the parking lot and farm stand. A tractor ride will get you out to the large fields of pumpkin patches, but you'll also find many pumpkins for sale just outside the farm stand. The pumpkins looks great and come in all different sizes.

We like Jane and Paul's Farm a lot. It's not as high profile as some of the other local farms, the prices are reasonable, owners very pleasant and knowledgeable, and the place feels like one's own secret discovery. The farm stand also still has many fresh vegetables and fruit for sale, as well as local breads, eggs and honey. You'll also find a complex corn maze here (for a nominal fee) -- it took us a half-hour last time to figure it out.  Hope you can get to this "hidden gem" in this southwest Boston rural-suburban town!

Jane and Paul's Farm
33 Fruit St. Norfolk, MA 02056
Tel. (508) 528-0812


Editor's note: we recommend calling Jane and Paul's Farm first before setting out on the planned itinerary as conditions can change quickly!



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Apple Picking and Beyond at Belkin Lookout Farm Makes for a Fruitful Day

Article by Eric H.

If you're looking for an apple picking experience that goes beyond just picking apples, then Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick, Mass., is the place to "pick."

In the same town that brings you the densely-populated commercial stretch of Route 9 with just about every store imaginable -- and a seemingly continuous traffic jam -- Belkin Lookout Farm resides on 180 acres of beautiful farm land in a truly quiet rural section of South Natick. Belkin Farm is also one of the oldest continuously working farms in the country, having some form of farming operation since the mid-1600s! It's simply a beautiful fall New England destination, and a true oasis from growing suburbia. You'll feel like you're hundreds of miles away from the shopping mall and center craziness of Natick and neighboring Framingham -- also a bastion of shopping frenzy on Route 9.

Not that Belkin Lookout Farm doesn't become overcrowded itself, given its high level of entertaining things to do on a nice New England September day, like today. This "Metrowest" outdoor, family fun destination, a half hour from Boston, features not only fields and fields of apple picking, but also train rides to your fruit picking spot, a terrific farm market and garden center, a petting zoo, hay pyramid, caterpillar rides, a burlap maze, moon bounce, a farmed-themed children's play area and, on the weekend, live childrens' entertainment, face painting, a barbecue snack bar and pony and camel rides (additional charge).

This weekend (Sept. 19 and 20th), the Belkin Lookout Farm fall celebration continues with a magic show and a contest with the chance to win Red Sox tickets, according to the Belkin Lookout Farm Web Site. At this writing, Gala and Mac apples are ready to pick as well as Asian pears, yellow peaches, nectarines and plums. For updates, directions, hours and any possible changes in schedule, we recommend calling the Belkin Lookout Farm hotline at (508) 653-0653.

We also recommend checking out the "Hey, everyone, let's go apple picking" article on Belkin Farm at VisitingNewEngland.com for additional perspectives on this landmark New England farm.

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Farm Stand Fun at the Big Apple in Wrentham, Mass.

Article and photo by Eric H.


If you're looking for a nice, out-of-the-way, yet close-to-civilization apple picking spot, then we suggest the Big Apple Farm in Wrentham, Mass., as a "core" destination.

The Big Apple Farm features apple picking (primarily MacIntosh and Cortland), this weekend from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., in a scenic, peaceful 200-acre setting near the Franklin, Mass., line and northern Rhode Island border. Located in the virtually unknown Sheldonville section of Wrentham, the Big Apple has always been considered a "destination" for locals, but is certainly worth a drive for those in search of a classic, local, family-owned farm with plenty to do in addition to apple picking. Here are some highlights of the Big Apple:

* The farm stand with fresh, hand-picked in-season fruits and vegetables, and a bakery offering delicious homemade donuts, pies, hand dipped candy and caramel apples. Also available at the farm stand are jams, sauces, syrups, gift baskets, old-fashioned candies and fudge.

* A viewing platform where families can watch the apple grader sorting apples.

* An ice cream stand with high-quality Richardson's ice cream and a pleasing indoor screened-porch overlooking the countryside. September features apple crisp ice cream!

The fall season gets even better with hay rides through the scenic orchards, the Pumpkin House with myriad pumpkins for sale (sugar, giant and Jack-o-lantern), and Halloween weekend (look for the witch!).

We recommend calling the Big Apple Farm at 508-384-3055 before embarking on your visit here as apple picking will end when the orchard runs out -- other produce availability changes on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.

Even with the impending end of apple picking season, we recommend keeping the Big Apple on your fall travel agenda for the remainder of the season. After all, how can you go wrong with a scenic farm setting, fresh produce, bakery, ice cream, and hay rides?

The Big Apple
207 Arnold St.
Wrentham, MA
Tel. 508-384-3055

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Welcome to Apple Picking Season!

Article and photos by Eric H. Video by Worcester Love.

With summer vacation in the rear view mirror and a touch of fall in the air this morning, we can now turn our seasonal New England interests to great fall-time activities like apple picking. All over New England, commercial apple orchards report their "corp" businesses yielding an impressive supply of apples ready to pick from the trees. We recommend calling your chosen apple orchard before traveling there, however, because, as they say on the infomercials, "results may vary."

We can tell you that the picturesque Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield, Mass., already has Paula Red apples, similar to a MacIntosh and typically one for the first varieties to be ready for picking. Brookfield Orchards reports that regular Macintosh and Cortland apples should be ready for picking by Labor Day Weekend.

Visiting Brookfield Orchards -- a fifth generation family-run business dating back to 1918 -- goes well beyond just apple picking, however. A charming country store with many architectural nooks and crannies features jams, jellies, maple products, Vermont cheddar cheese, candy, books, maps, crafts, antiques and collectibles. The snack bar and bakery is best known for its delicious homemade apple dumplings. Add some vanilla ice cream and flavorful Vermont cheddar cheese, and that is worth a visit to Brookfield Orchards by itself. September and October snack bar offerings include hot dogs, hamburgers, chili and macaroni and cheese while the year-round bakery features (besides apple dumplings) homemade apple pies, applecakes, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies. Brookfield Orchard also offers specialty pies in the fall and for the holidays (they are open, year-round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas days and the Fourth of July).

Brookfield Orchards also has a playground with swings, a slide and "twirl around" contraption.

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of Brookfield Orchards is its idyllic country location where an isolated scenic presence, the seemingly endless apple orchards, the pleasing aromatic combination of apples and fresh air, and the rolling central Massachusetts countryside with hilly views are enough to make you want to stay all day. It's hard to think of a more relaxing, beautiful location in New England for apple picking and beyond.

Brookfield Orchards
12 Lincoln Rd.
North Brookfield MA 01535
Phone 508- 867-6858- 877-622-7555

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A Corny New England Travel Destination

Article and Photo by Eric H.

Readers, lend me your "ears" about a fun, fall travel destination at Jane and Paul's Farm in Norfolk, MA.

Jane and Paul's Farm offers an intriciate corn maze that some say has them baffled for 20, even 30 minutes. The stalks are high, the paths diverse and there's even a bridge to throw a monkey wrench into figuring out how to reach the end of the maze.

We've been to those wimpy "around the knees" hay mazes that can be figured out with both eyes closed, but Jane and Paul's maze will surely be a challenge to anyone -- unless you cheat with a GPS or take a helicopter above and map out the premises. For the rest of us honest souls, Jane and Paul's corn maze will have you saying "Oh, shucks," on how to complete this rural challenge course.

Of course, add some apple picking (Macintosh, Daybreak and Empire), wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, a chance to commune with the farm animals and purchase some fresh-from-the-farm produce at the farm stand and you have a wonderfully spent morning or afternoon at this special farm, tucked away in a pleasant neighborhood in an equally pleasant suburban Boston town, Norfolk.

Jane and Paul's Farm, 33 Fruit St., Norfolk, MA. Tel. (508) 528-0812

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The "Core" of Great Apple Picking at Belkin Lookout Farm

Article by Eric H., at VisitingNewEngland.com

It's hard to review an apple field. You go to the field, pick some apples, go home and eat them.

Sometimes, what the apple field offers in addition to apple picking makes the difference. Belkin Lookout Farm, in Natick, Mass., is indeed more than your typical fall apple picking destination. Besides apple picking, Belkin Lookout Farm features a farmer's market, petting zoo animals, train rides into the apple fields, pony rides, a bee observatory, guided tours, pumpkins ready for picking in late September, and a market with loads of organic produce, gelato, specialty meats and cheeses, and even homemade pizza!

Even Belkin's variety of apples help bring this apple picking experience many notches above most other places. Types of apples include Ginger Gold (starting in August), Gala, Honey Crisp, Red Delicious, Macoun, Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Fuji.

Belkin Lookout Farm might be the oldest operating farm in the country -- dating back to the 1600s -- but that doesn't stop them from yielding a very modern, creative approach to the apple picking experiencing, quite compatible with our 21st century world. It's not cheap, but certainly worth the extra money paid, as the overall experience is tremendous.

Belkin Lookout Farm
89 Pleasant St.
South Natick, MA 01760
Tel. (508) 653-0653

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Enjoying the Middle of Nowhere at Brookfield Orchards

Article and Photo by Eric H.
Brookfield Orchards in Brookfield, MA, might sound like a place just to pick apples, but actually offers that proverbial "everything but the kitchen sink."

Located in the middle of nowhere in central Massachusetts, the isolated but scenic Brookfield Orchards appears to be, from the outside, a farm stand with perhaps a garage or an apple producing operation attached. Once inside, however, this mammoth network of retail rooms seems bigger than tiny North Brookfield itself.

Upon entering, there's a snack bar with the most delicious homemade apple dumplings. Add some ice cream and you're in snack heaven. The snack bar also serves apple pies, apple cakes, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, and in September and October, hot dogs, hamburgers, chili and macaroni and cheese. September and October, are, of course, the time to pick apples on its 80 landmark apple orchard acres. During apple season (beginning around Labor Day Weekend), the views from the hilly terrain are priceless and fun abounds with wagon rides, crafters, and entertainment.

As they say on those television informercials, "But wait, that's not all!" Brookfield Orchards also features a country store with jams, jellies, maple products, Vermont cheddar cheese, candy, books, maps, crafts, antiques and collectibles. It's a charming scene with displays of old tools, spinning wheels, cider presses, a waterfall and a large assortment of memorabilia.

Brookfield Orchards takes us back to the day when a snack bar was a snack bar, a country store was a country store and an apple orchard was an apple orchard, meaning that there's no pretense, or over commercialism. The help is nice and graciously advanced in age, the layout is plain but offering plentiful merchandise and the apple dumplings the best snack food on the planet. It's always so pleasant coming to Brookfield Orchards at any time of the year.

Brookfield Orchards, 12 Lincoln Rd., North Brookfield MA 01535. Tel. 508-867-6858, 877-622-7555

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Locavore: New Word, Old Tradition for Seeking Locally-Produced Food

Article and Photo (Tangerini Spring Street Farm, Millis, MA) by Eric H.
The New Oxford American Dictionary recently declared the word "Locavore" as the 2007 word of the year. Simply put, a Locavore is "Someone whose diet consists of food grown or produced within an area most commonly bound by a 100-mile radius of their home. Locavores usually shun large supermarket chains, opting for farmer's markets and local gardens instead. It is also a current trend for many high-end restaurants as well."

We're really not into trends or people who "go green" just because it's popular, but we do like the idea of shopping locally for food in New England. It's many times cheaper, the food is usually more nutrient dense as it's fresh off the local farm, and often void of chemicals. In the Boston area, we really enjoy finding fresh produce at Jane and Paul's Farm in Norfolk (seasonal), Belkin Lookout Farm in Natick, Wilson's Farm in Lexington, Verrill Farm in Concord, Tangerini's Spring Street Farm in Millis (seasonal) and Big Apple Farm in Wrentham (seasonal). As examples, we enjoy picking blueberries at Big Apple Farm in July and August, apples at Jane and Paul's Farm in September, and shopping for meats and seasonal produce year-round at Wilson's Farm and Lookout Farm. Sometimes, these farms might not be all "local," so label read carefully and don't be afraid to ask the owners and hired help questions.

While we will never call ourselves "Locavores," we welcome the new word to our language. More importantly, we always welcome fresh, locally produced food to our dining table!

We'd love to hear where you shop for locally-produced food. Feel free to post!

Read more about healthy New England at VisitingNewEngland.com

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