New England Travel and Vacation Gazette and Other Wicked Good Content

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 u...

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 th...

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...

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...

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-fr...

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 coun...

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 vi...

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, V...