It’s fall again, and that means it’s time for pumpkins, sunflowers, apples, corn mazes, and hayrides, all of which you can find at Tuttle Orchards in Greenfield.
I like to begin the visit by walking around the pumpkin patch and hayride area. There are usually some fun photo-ops set up around the areas where the lines for the different attractions begin, and also a few animals — this year there was a llama and some baby goats.
Afterward, I grabbed a wagon and headed for the apple-picking area. Past years have taught me that I’ll never use those things in a pie like I always think I will, so I’ve downsized to just getting one of the small $6 bags worth of apples — just enough to eat in within a week or so.
This year’s visit was in the third week of October, a couple weeks later than my visits in previous years, and most of the apples had already been picked by that point of the month. There were still a few rows of Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, which were fine with me, and I was able to find just enough to fill my little bag.
With the apples picked, it was time to head across the street to the area with the shops and grill. Shockingly, there was no one in line at the grill, so getting some hot food for lunch was a quick and easy process. I can vouch for all of their grill foods being excellent, but this year I went with the pulled pork and bratwurst. If you get a meal, it comes with chips and applesauce. I also added cider slushie, which I feel almost obligated to get when coming here.
The next shop was the Cafe/Sweet Shop, where I got some fudge, apple doughnuts, and a peach slushie. I had forgotten how amazing the peach slushie was! If I had to choose between that one and the apple slushie, I’d go for the peach. It’s a definite must-try if you come here, even if the line is crazy long.
The last stop before leaving was the Farm Store, where I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but was lured in by some free apple and apple butter samples. They sell a variety of different apple and pumpkin-flavored items there, as well as some locally-produced products. Best of all, they have single-serving and regular-sized frozen apple pies, which are perfect for those of us who know full well we’re not making one from scratch ourselves.
One of the things I notice year after year is that Tuttle keeps finding ways to make processes more efficient during the fall weekend days with the grill and other activities. Like this year, the corn was in a separate area from the main grill, which meant less waiting for corn and no hold-up in the main grill like for people just wanting corn. And the apple u-pick payment lines were separate from the lines to buy tickets for the other rides and attractions. Keep up the good work, Tuttle, and I’ll see you next year!
