Visiting a farm during the autumn takes on an especially magical time. It harkens back to the days of harvest festivals and really being attuned to the changing seasons. The bounty and fruitfulness of the year begins to change. And while farming is possible during the winter months with cold-weather crops and greenhouses — this is technically the last hoorah as we wait for the warmer days of Spring.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s appreciate the fall and the farms within the Greater Merrimack Valley.
Smolak Farms
315 South Bradford Street, North Andover, MA 01845
Open 7 days a week from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Smolak Farms “offers something fun for everyone—blending a 300 year old New England Farm complete with orchards, berry fields, and family activities.”
They will also have Fall Festival Weekends! From 10 am through 4 pm, spend the weekends in October at Smolak. With their famous apple cider donuts, live entertainment, and even an area to view the animals, it’s bound to be a great time!
During some weekends of October, you can dress up, visit the farm to have a great time, and ride their Halloween Hayrides! This ride is spooky, but perfect for the little ones since it’s not scary – just pure fun! Check their calendar to see additional dates and times.
Boston Hill Farms
Open 7 days a week from 9:00 am – 6 pm
1370 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA, 01845
Before heading out to pick a bushel or two of apples at Boston Hill Farms, or choosing your pumpkins for the season – make sure to stop by the farm stand for information.
If you visit the Boston Hill Farm, you should definitely try their Mood Food Pies! One of their Mood Food Pies is a simple Eggplant Parmesan Pie which includes breaded eggplant, meatballs, sauce, and cheese.
Chicken Bomb Blast with red and green peppers, sweet onions, salami, bacon, sundried tomatoes, sour cream, cream cheese, sundried tomato pesto ricotta, portobello mushrooms, garlic, chicken is amazing. Then it’s an infused top crust, a sundried tomato, and bacon infused top crust.
Doesn’t that sound so delicious?
Krochmal Farms
31 Jennie’s Way, Tewksbury, MA, 01876
Krochmal Farms has been open for generations providing meat such as mouthwatering farm fresh beef or your Thanksgiving turkey. They also produce compost for your own garden or loam designed for your landscape.
A part of the Krochmal Farms history is the “As the farm has moved forward through the generations, John Krochmal’s son, John Cave and his two sons, John and Greg, opened our doors to the public with our Annual Pumpkin Festival. Each Fall we welcome visitors to spend weekends here to experience all we have to offer. We are proud to be able to see children that came here decades ago now bringing their children for this annual tradition.”
Every Saturday and Sunday of October, head over to Krochmal Farms for their annual Pumpkin Festival. You can pick your own pumpkin, disappear in the corn maze, or take a traditional horse-drawn hay ride.
Parlee Farms
95 Farwell Rd, Tyngsborough, MA 01879
Parlee Farms is a family farm that started growing in 1987. “Since Parlee Farms began planting in 1987, we have always strived to produce the best locally grown fruit, vegetables, and flowers while being environmentally responsible.”
We hope you get a chance to visit one or all of these farms in the Greater Merrimack Valley.
