The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Savor the flavors of the season
The first frost of fall usually takes place around the time of October’s full moon, according to Perry Township farmer Larry Secor . “It can come earlier, but usually the first frost is right before Halloween,” he said.
For most, the pick-ityourself season has ended but many farms still have winter squash, cabbage, the last of the season’s sweet corn and peppers in their farm markets. The Thursday Farmers’ Market on Painesville’s square continues until Oct. 24 and the Frostville Market in North Olmsted is over Oct. 27, but many have already ended their outdoor market season.
It’s now the time for apples and pumpkins and many places offering those also sell hay bales, corn stalks and decorative cabbages for seasonal outdoor displays.
The cooler weather invigorates and encourages folks to make a foray into the countryside to pick apples and choose pumpkins. Many farms open to pickers and shoppers during autumn weekends and some, like Sunset Farm in Burton, also offer jams, jellies and cheeses to their customers.
Different varieties of apples ripen at different times, but when kept cool will keep for a long time.
At Patterson’s Fruit Farm in Chester Township, which hosts the pickyour-own crowd through October, the orchards are divided for pickers according the variety currently ready to pick. MacIntosh, Cortland, Empire and Jonagold varieties were picked in early September but Golden Delicious, Melrose, Crimson Crisp and Evercrisp are ready to pick now.
The orchards which surround the Pattersons’ Family Fun Fest at 8765 Mulberry Road provide a great way to spend the entire day.
The Fest itself has pony rides, a double slide, corn maze, hay stacks and all sorts of other activities for the kids. It’s also a great place to select pumpkins to decorate there or take home. The fest is open daily from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. except weekends when it closes at 5 p.m. Admission is $8 a person. Pony rides and pumpkin painting is an additional $4, which includes the pumpkin.
To the west find Miller Orchards in Brownhelm Township run by the Miller family which has been farming in Lorain County since 1864. They grow more than three dozen varieties of apples. Located at the corner of Middle Ridge and Vermilion Roads, four miles south of Vermilion, hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Apple Hill is the Miller family’s bulk food store nearby in Amherst and both spots really come alive in September and October with pick your own and already-picked apples, fresh cider, pumpkins, gourds, field trips, and lots more. (440-9888405)
Nancy Patterson, matriarch of the four generations of Pattersons operating the Chester Township fruit farm, believes the best apple pies include a variety of apples.
She suggests that devoted apple pie makers with plenty of freezer space, slice their pie apples into a pie tin prepared with a crust, stack several crusts together then freeze the stack. “They’ll be ready to make into pies through the winter with your favorite recipe,” she said. “Squeeze a little lemon juice over the apples before placing them in the pie tin and they won’t turn brown,” she adds.
To best celebrate the apple season, head to the annual Apple Butter Festival Oct. 13 and 14 in Burton where freshly made apple butter and apple fritters are prepared and served outdoors amid beautiful fall color in a town immersed in maples. It’s the 70th Apple Butter Festival this year.
The local grape harvest began Sept. 13 at Debonne Vineyards in Madison and will continue until mid-October, except for ice wine grapes which don’t get picked until they become frozen, usually not until December or January.
“Grapes have done well and have a lot of flavor and character this year, mostly because of the sunshine and warm weather in August,” said Tony Debevc, fourth generation of the winery, which began in 1971.
“Our white grapes are abundant but we had a light crop of reds because of a cold snap last Jan. 7,” he said. “It was minus 15 for five or six hours.”
Self-drive wine tasting tours are especially popular during the autumn harvest season, and wineries have been a huge driver of Northeast Ohio tourism in the past decade, he said.
In the Grand River Valley alone there are six wineries within a 10-minute drive of each other.
The Lodge at Geneva on-the-Lake hosts many tours of wine country so folks don’t have to drive themselves.
Wine enthusiasts may delve into the art of winemaking Oct. 10 and Oct. 24 with midweek harvest experience using a special VIP shuttle to two area wineries, lunch and a special tasting.
It’s framed around a two-night stay in which each morning begins with a breakfast at Horizons, overlooking Lake Erie. Get details on the website www.TheLodgeAtGeneva. Com of call 866-442-9765.
Newcomers to this area often are surprised to discover that autumn clambakes have become a tradition here, far from their East Coast roots where clams are harvested from the sea.
In speaking engagements throughout the area, Tanya Busic, events director at the Lake County History Center, tells how this came to be.
“When he lived in Northeast Ohio in the early 1900s, John D. Rockefeller and his wealthy friends enjoyed summer clambakes on the East Coast,” she said. “They wanted to bring clams here by train but they spoiled too quickly in the summer. So they waited until the weather cooled down in October and had tons of clams loaded into box cars and transported here.”
Many of the first clambakes took place on the lawns of mansions on Little Mountain, which had a direct connection to the train tracks which cross Lake County.
“Soon the clambake parties spread throughout Northeast Ohio and became a traditional way the well-off citizens could show off their wealth and share it with others,” she said.
Now clambakes are everywhere throughout September and October. The Lake County History Center pays tribute to clambake origins with the Great Western Reserve Clambake set from 12:45 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the Center, 415 Riverside Drive. Food includes not only clams but clam chowder, a half barbecued chicken, sweet potato, corn, coleslaw,rolls and beverage. Price is $40 with a beer and wine bar available by donation. Non clam lovers, such as most kids, can get hot dogs and pizza. Reservation deadline is Sept. 27. Call 440-6392945.
This fall, Cleveland Metroparks will also be offering signature clambakes across several locations including Merwin’s Wharf on Friday and Saturday nights after 4 p.m. until October 13. It’s located on the Cuyahoga River’s Irishtown Bend in the Flats and has stunning views of water and wildlife. Reservations are recommended. Visit clevelandmetroparks. com/dining
Pumpkin patches pop up throughout the area once October begins to approach. You might need a pickup truck to haul yours away if you choose one of Larry Secor’s huge pumpkins weighing several hundred pounds. They sell for $25.
But he has thousands of pumpkins perfect for creating jack ‘o lanterns for about $4.
To choose the best pumpkin for carving, make sure it’s well balanced when set down on the ground. One flat side is common, since they often grow lying on their sides, but you can make that the back of your jack ‘o lantern when you carve it.
Area farm festivals are framed by pumpkins this time of year. They’re a great excuse to get out in the country and let the kids stretch their legs.
The annual Corn and Pumpkin Festival in Lake County is from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Oct. 6 and 7 and Oct. 13 and 14 at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland. Help husk, shell and grind the corn or plow behind draft horses while younger visitors make handmade corn husk dolls and paint pumpkins. Little farmers can pedal their way on mini tractors through the farm maze on the Pedal Tractor Overlook. During Harvest Weekend celebrations, the whole family can explore the threeacre ‘Alien Adventure’ corn maze, enjoy harvestthemed crafts and other harvest activities including cooking demonstrations. Visitors may also enjoy all of Farmpark’s daily activities, ice cream making and Showman’s Circle, featuring a farmthemed playground, water feature and covered shelter for live animal demonstrations. Farmpark is at 8800 Euclid Chardon Road (Route 6) and adult admission is $8
Most agree that everything tastes better prepared outdoors and there are several eating events, including clambakes, worth catching across Ohio.
Miller Nature Preserve in Avon in having an October Feast featuring the Travelin’ Johnsons from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 pm with traditional foods such as Jager Schnitzel, brats, cabbage and noodles and more. Cost is $32 per person. Call 440-937-0764 to sign up.
The 2018 Cupcake Crawl, considered by many as the sweetest time of the year, is a foodie trail among bakeries in Lorain, Medina, and Cuyahoga counties. The Crawl runs Oct. 2 through 31 with passports and maps available at any of the participating bakeries. Visit six and get signatures to win a free Cupcake Crawl Tshirt. Go to www.visitloraincounty.com for details.