To all of you bookworms sweating in Lamont at 2:00 a.m., wouldn’t you rather find some real apples to burrow into? Autumn is the perfect season to fall into the habit of apple and pumpkin picking, and this weekend is the kick-off! If you are a freshman, RSVP to the Freshman Dean’s Office’s invitation to go apple picking at Carver Hill Orchards this Sunday, September 29 from 12:30 – 4:30pm. If you are a year or two riper than a freshman, check out an orchard or two on your own! Here are some suggestions, updated from our last guide.

Wilson Farms in Lexington, MA, serves fifty-cent apple cider donuts as well as their famous caramel apples for $2.50 each, every weekend through the end of October. Taking the Red Line until Alewife Station then hopping on Bus 76 will drop you here in 28 minutes, not too far from the tree!

If you are willing to stem off a bit further from campus, Doe Orchards is a 43-minute drive on Route 2 from Harvard Square. Doe boasts twelve apple species, and an accompanying picturesque red farm stand sells local cider, syrup, and honey. As the season gets crisper, their supply rounds out with the addition of pumpkins and gourds.

Roll over to a pumpkin patch at Brooksby Farm, a 33-minute drive north of campus. Wagon rides, apples, and pumpkins are just a few of the crunchy commodities that this Peabody, MA farm has to offer.

Finally, every weekend in October, Chris’ Farm Stand hosts a Pumpkin Festival at Silsby Farm in Bradford, MA, ripe with a corn maze, hay rides, pony rides, and a massive selection of orange beauties for your pumpkin collection. If you can spare the time, it’s worth the fifty-minute drive. This could be a perfect Columbus Day weekend outing—by then, the leaves will have changed, and it'll be about time you got off campus!