Massachusetts and New Hampshire – U.S.A. One of the best ways to enjoy autumn is to celebrate the bounty of the harvest.
In the United States, the northeastern region of New England is known not only for the spectacular foliage colors that are the hallmark of the season, but also for the delicious fruits and vegetables its farms yield before the the first snows. Gourds of all sizes and colors, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, apples, cranberries and so much more are available at the farm stands that dot the rural New England landscape.
This year, we decided to take a weekend tour of the countryside to experience and enjoy the harvest first-hand. With a nor’easter approaching, we hit the road, stopping first in the southeastern Massachusetts town of Plympton where we visited Mayflower Cranberry Farm, which grows the tart ruby berries indigenous to North America.
From there, we headed to Londonderry, New Hampshire, for a cruise around the scenic Apple Way, picking fruit at Mack’s Apples, and catching the last leaves of autumn as the wind threatened to shake them free once and for all. We dined that evening at a great farm-to-table restaurant called the Republic in Manchester, New Hampshire. Their mussels and monkfish are divine. We over-nighted in the historic town of Exeter at the Inn by the Bandstand, housed in an equally historic 19th century home.
Then, it was off to the quiet town of Keene in southwestern New Hampshire’s Monadnock Mountains where we attended the 20th annual Pumpkin Festival, and took in more sights and food at Alyson’s Orchard and L.A. Burdick’s Handmade Chocolates in nearby Walpole.