Peak Pomoturismo

If October is Peak Apple, this coming holiday weekend is peak agroturismo at orchards in the Northeast.

(Photo:Part of the crowd lining up to order cider donuts and other treats at Shelburne Farm on Saturday.) ¶ 

Come for the apples...but also the donuts, hayrides, goats, corn maze, musical performances, and other delights.

Resources below, but also a report from last weekend.

Shelburne Farm

At Shelburne, in Stowe, there is apple picking, but I also saw a food truck, a band, a cider bar(n) (at right in above photo), and an impressive selection of heritage and modern apples at their store.

Shelburne offers and impressive selection of apples. Alas, no Ashmead's Kernel today!

Consult their website for a full description of weekend activities; scroll down for a list of apples.

I reviewed Shelburne Farm in 2008. The orchard has changed hands since then

The new owner takes a special interest in heritage varieties, like Karmijn de Sonneville, and new ones, such as Ludacrisp (both recommended).

The orchard still has the same family-friendly feel inherited from the old days.

Further afield

Elsewhere in Stowe, find a similar scene at Honeypot Hill Orchard. Other orchards and farm stands abound.

Stow, Bolton, Berlin, and Harvard really are apple country, but so are may other places in New England. A marvelous Boston Globe story published last month includes an interactive map of many orchards. 

Speaking of maps, heres an interactive one from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture.

A Boston-centric segment of mine is below:

Go ahead, click on it.

The whole map is here, and I write about select local orchards.

To round out the set, here's a cider donut map. (You know you want it!)

This weekend will be great, don't miss it!