Fall is my favorite season. Like many, I love everything about fall in New England, from the pumpkin spice lattes offered at the local coffee shop, to the days when it’s finally chilly enough to wear boots and scarves. I like to drive along the twisting roads, looking out at the swaths of orange and red that carpet the forested mountains and tree-lined marshlands.
Last weekend, I spent an idyllic afternoon at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard in Greenville, New Hampshire. For me, and I suspect several of you will agree, the most quintessential New England fall activity is apple picking. Who doesn’t love traipsing through an orchard, munching on an apple, while looking for the next full branch of apples ripe for picking? Once the apples are picked, and you get them home and washed, fall is not fall without an aromatic homemade apple crisp.
Apples at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard Photo Credit : Montana Rogers
After stopping in the small store for some warm apple cider and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, we took our apple bag and headed for the orchard. We missed the hayride that takes visitors to and from the orchard, and in our impatience to get our hands on some apples, we opted to walk the short distance. The orchard boasts four varieties of apples, but McIntosh and Cortland were the only two that were ready. Lucky for me, McIntosh are my apple of choice and work well for dipping in caramel and baking. Our bag was overflowing by the time we left.
A day at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard is not complete without a tour of the corn maze. Right before Halloween the maze becomes a labyrinth full of spirits and monsters, but throughout October it is simply a puzzle that must be solved. I’m a little ashamed to admit that it took us almost an hour to find our way out!
The corn maze at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard Photo Credit : Montana RogersThe corn reaches far above the heads of maze runners Photo Credit : Montana Rogers
The pumpkin patch offers a nice selection and offers picturesque views of a typical New England barn against the mountains and changing foliage of southern New Hampshire. Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard is your one stop spot for all things fall in New England.
Pumpkins in the pumpkin patch at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard Photo Credit : Montana RogersWashburn’s Windy Hill Orchard. 66 Mason Road, Greenville, NH. 603-878-2101. Open 10:00am – 6:00pm Monday through Sunday. facebook.com/Washburns-Windy-Hill-Orchard
Do you have a favorite New England fall farm stand, orchard, or corn maze?
This post was first published in 2016 and has been updated.
Though originally from south Florida, Montana has a stronger affinity to New England’s quaint towns and extraordinary nature, and has no qualms about referring to New Hampshire as her true home. She is a graduate of Wheaton College (MA), where she studied Literature/Creative Writing and Music. She recently returned to the USA after spending two years teaching in Bulgaria. Montana is very excited to be working as an editorial intern at Yankee Magazine.
