Fall has arrived! While summer will always have my heart, early fall is definitely my second favorite time of year. Sure, I hate the early darkness and slowing garden productivity, but brilliant blue skies and sunny days, apple picking, and fall cooking all help a little. I’ll let you in on a little secret. . . as much as I live for summer produce, I really love fall cooking! I love roasting and braising and making hearty, comfy one pot meals to pair with red wine.
Last weekend we got an early start on autumn fun with a trip to Belkin Family Lookout Farm. I am obsessed with local food and growing or picking my own fruit and vegetables, and I was excited about the variety at Belkin. This Natick farm, founded in 1651, can be found after a really lovely drive through Wellesley, and had several types of apples, Asian pears, peaches, and plums, in addition to pumpkins, cider donuts, caramel corn, and tons of other fall flavors. For families, they have children’s play area. To get anywhere on the property, everyone must take a train, which is fun for all ages!
We arrived and caught the train out to the orchards to get picking. We filled a giant bag with fruit and may have sampled a few pieces along the way. The air was fresh, the weather was perfect, and it felt amazing to have such a beautiful outdoor space to spend the day in.
On the way out of the orchard, we browsed the farm store and picked up the requisite cider donuts, which we tucked into immediately. I don’t even like most donuts, but man, a fresh cider donut is pretty incredible and these were some of the best I have had.
Right on the property also sits the Lookout Farm Taproom, serving hard cider that they make, along with food items like charcuterie and flatbread. Of course we had to go in for a tasting! We shared a cider flight, with the two standouts being the pumpkin cider, which had nice baking spice notes, and the summer cider, which had lemongrass and ginger notes. All were crisp, refreshing, and easy to drink.
A visit to Belkin Lookout Farm is easy from Boston, and it opens up your day to a beautiful area with lots of open space. It’s only 20 minutes from Boston but feels like a real getaway. If you are looking for fun apple picking followed by delicious adult beverages ( and a TV for football), definitely add Belkin Lookout Farm to your fall fun list.
Doing so made me think of the butcher on the Brady Bunch). It fit perfectly in the four quart space, not touching the sides but there also wasn’t so much room that I felt the need to fill it with liquid which I sometimes do after a little slow cooker burning incident. I poured the pickle juice (from a local pickle maker, Grillo’s) over the pork, following that with the white vinegar. Then I sprinkled about 1/4 of the spice mixture on the side of the pork that was not in the liquid.
