By Calvin Watkins III
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Fall has come to Maryland, and with it comes Weber’s Farm’s Fall Harvest Days.
Lasting until Nov. 2, Parkville’s family-owned farm has opened its doors with multiple attractions, visiting food trucks, and the business’s new hard apple cider.
Founded in 1908, Weber’s Farm is a longstanding staple of both the Parkville and greater Baltimore community. Having spent its early days as a door-to-door family business that carted its goods to farmers’ markets, Weber’s now has a market of its own, along with farmland and orchard areas open to the public throughout the year.
Fall in particular is a special time for Weber’s, just as it is for farms across the country. Having begun Sept. 13, guests are currently welcome to the annual Fall Harvest Days festival.
“The fall is what Weber’s is known for in general,” says festival volunteer Rose Mannow. “Doing the festival in and of itself is like a tradition for a lot of families in the Baltimore area and beyond.”
This is the harvest season, when apples come into season and visitors come from across the country and world to get a taste. The Moran family is among one such family, traveling from Ohio to reunite with family and enjoy the farm atmosphere.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” Linda Moran said. “It’s changed a lot, but it’s always been fun for the whole family.”
The 117-year-old farm also features Maryland’s oldest cider mill, which it’s using this year to launch its own hard apple cider as part of this year’s Harvest Days.
Processed and fermented on the property with the same apples it uses to make its regular apple cider, the farm is introducing a new twist on its annual Harvest Days with an alcoholic spin on its seasonal cider.
“It’s very new,” seasonal worker Miya Booth said. “We started it the weekend of our Johnny Appleseed event (Sept. 13-14) and we’d never had a hard cider before.”
The cider itself is sold beginning at 3:30 p.m. during the farm’s “happy hour” (noon on weekends), and Weber’s Farm staff expect guests to find some newfound entertainment at the farm in combination with the assortment of food trucks rotating throughout the season.
“I feel like Weber’s is known for its apple cider,” Mannow said, “so I feel like you need to get one while you’re here.”
Fall Harvest Days features a host of different attractions for all ages– including its hayride tour and access to the farm’s stock of barn animals, with an opportunity to feed its goats and see both its flock of chickens and colony of rabbits.
Events for children and young adults include the burlap sack slides, a rubber duck race, corn maze and gem mining.
Should the festivities alone leave you parched or hungry, Weber’s hosts a variety of food and drink options on the property. Food trucks rotate through the festival each day, with dessert options like apple pie and ice cream to satisfy your sweet tooth.
The farm also has a Loaded Apple stand, which features diced apples covered in assortments of candy, syrups and sauces. Served in paper bowls and eaten with a fork, the loaded apple is Weber’s take on the infamous candied apple, designed to be easier to eat and more customizable.
Weekends at Weber’s are particularly packed, from parents out for an afternoon with their children to happy couples and friend groups out for romantic evenings together. The farm is packed from open to close on weekends, with tickets \ranging from $10.59 to $16.59 depending on the day.
“I just love this time of year,” assistant produce manager Jack Meyers said. “It’s so nice to interact with all the people that come through, and there’s people that come back year after year with their family. And it’s really cool to see that and talk to them when I see them.”
Additionally, the farmers market remains open even past the Harvest Days experience, and for those interested in freshly grown produce, baked goods and apple cider, they’ll be open all year.
Weber’s Fall Harvest Days ended earlier this month. The farm is located at 2526 Proctor Lane in Parkville.