Harvest Festivals Galore!

1. Harvest Festivals Galore!

   October 22, 2007 1:29 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Try our…Wonderful Winter Squash recipe.

   Across our region, and our nation for that matter, farms are celebrating the end of the season and the harvest of their final crops.  Many hold fall festivals — from simple to elaborate — as the last hurrah before cold and snow sets in.  This is the perfect opportunity to visit a local farm, whether it’s to pick out the perfect pumpkin for a Halloween jack-o-lantern or to stock up on the incredible variety of hearty winter squash.  Coming in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures, winter squash make not only beautiful fall decorations, they offer a winter’s worth of delicious simple-to-make dishes.

   This summer we visited a number of farms, three of which have incredible fall festivals you shouldn’t miss.  So load up the car and head to one of these farms. Enjoy the colors of the season, breath in the crisp autumn air, pick your own pumpkin,  take a hay ride, have some refreshing cider, and enjoy the many acitivites they’ve arranged for kids of all ages…but most of all, get out and celebrate the bounty of the season that remains!

   Harvest Valley Farms — Celebrating the 23rd anniversary of its Fall Festival!

   Triple B Farms — Trick or Treat on the Farm October 27-28!

   Woodward’s Orchard — Hayrides, pick your own pumpkin, apples & cider galore at this Fun For Ya’ll fall festival!

2. Woodward’s Orchard, Beaver County, PA

   October 8, 2007 1:27 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Try our…Easy Homemade Applesauce

   As John Love, III takes me through the family’s apple orchard on an unseasonably warm fall morning, it’s hard to believe he didn’t know much, if anything, about growing apples four years ago.  That’s when he and wife Marcie, Marcie’s mom Pauline and two of Marcie’s brothers purchased the 40 year old 70+ acre orchard that was formerly known as Buchholz Orchard in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  In danger of residential development, this family-run farm has preserved a beautiful orchard that now provides 24 varieties of apples along with vegetables and other fruit throughout the season.  To revitalized the orchard, they’ve torn out 1/2 of the 3000 trees that once crowded the land and the remaining trees and new plantings are bearing gorgeous fruit.  As if he’s been doing this his entire life, John knows by variety, size, color and taste just the moment when these beauties are ready for us to enjoy.

   The more fresh the apple, the more crisp and juicy it will be.  So, Woodward’s Orchard picks their apples daily and can be found throughout the week at six farmers markets around the Pittsburgh area.  For a real treat, visit them at their farm store to pick up a bag (or two or three) of  apples, a jug of cold apple cider, home made apple butter and other farm fresh fruits and vegetables.  For a fun fall family outing, check out their “Fun for Y’all” fall festival going on now through the end of October.  Pick your own apples and pumpkins, pick up some farm-grown popcorn, take a hay ride and lose yourself in their five-acre corn maze.  However you choose, be sure you don’t miss what this new family of farmers has to offer!

   For more information on Woodward’s Orchards go here.

   Woodward’s Orchard
   727 Achortown Road
   Beaver Falls, PA  15010

   Contact:  John Love, III
   Phone: 724-891-0102
   E-mail:  woodwardsorchard@msn.com