Article and photo by Eric H. 

After taking seemingly a hundred country road "lefts" and "rights," you might be saying about the elusive Brookfield Orchards in central Massachusetts' North Brookfield, MA, "This better be worth it."

Your patience -- or lack of patience -- will be greatly rewarded as you enter what seems like the heart of a rural New England traditional experience with enough eating and shopping to fill a morning or afternoon.

For kids and adults alike, Brookfield Orchards offers apple picking starting on Labor Day Weekend on 80-plus acres. Wagon rides, crafters, and entertainment only enhance this classic kind of fall New England weekend tradition.

Brookfield Orchards, however, is not your typical apple picking destination, as this third generation business, owned by the Lincoln family, packs a lot of things to do in a sprawling, imperfect long building. Delicious apple dumplings highlight the year-round bakery. The dumplings are the best we've sampled in a competitive, high quality New England apple dumpling market. It is especially good with homemade-tasting vanilla ice cream and Vermont cheddar cheese. Other homemade mouthwatering items include apple pies, apple cakes, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and moon pies The seasonal snack bar across the street serves a variety of ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, chili and macaroni cheese. The scenery is beautiful around the snack bar with beautiful views of the hilly countryside.

Rounding out this all inclusive rural New England experience is a country store with all the usual charming suspects -- candles, antiques, collectibles, candies, jams, maple products, a book area, crafts, maps, toys, Vermont Cheddar Cheese and hundreds of more items. Old tools, spinning wheels, cider presses, and a waterfall lend ambiance to this wonderful experience.

Brookfield Orchards might not be slick and organized, but this friendly, beloved local business makes for an honest-to-goodness rural New England shopping and eating experience.

Brookfield Orchards, 12 Lincoln Rd., North Brookfield, MA. Tel. 508-867-6858 - 877-622-7555