My Favorite Fall Activities: Grape Stomps, Picking Apples & Pumpkin Patches

When I think about fall, I immediately drift into dreams of crackling fires, crisp mornings, changing leaves, chilly nights, hot apple cider, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin everything. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year as the holiday season begins and happiness and cheer are everywhere. The weather is usually perfect — not too hot and not too cold. It’s the ideal time to harvest the fall vegetables, which leads to some of my favorite outdoor fall activities — apple picking, grape harvesting, and visiting pumpkin patches!

Last fall, I tried to attend as many harvests as I could during my time in Italy. The main one I missed out on was an olive harvest. While I can’t write about my experience, I’ve heard that it’s awesome and you’d be surprised at how they get the olives off the trees!

Grape Harvest and Grape Stomp

You can easily search for a grape harvest and/or grape stomp in your area. It’s great fun for all ages, and many places turn them into a big affair with food, dancing, and music.

Last September, Stephen and I had way too much fun at a well-known winery near Vicenza, Italy — La Dolce Vigna. When we attended the grape harvest, it was an event that started around noon and went until dinner time. They served delicious food and also had the best dancers in the Veneto region in attendance. The dancers were adorable in their outfits and got the crowd on their feet involved with the dancing. It was a great time had by all.

We had a chance to pick our own grapes, placing them in a crate and then carrying them back to the party to dump into these big tubs. Then it was time to stomp! They let the kids stomp grapes first and then the adults. It was mushy and gross and my feet turned purple, but it was so much fun.

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It was one of the most enjoyable days we had in Italy with a large group of friends — dancing, singing, and sipping delicious wine right near our home. Add this to your list for outdoor activities this fall!

For those located in Vicenza, Italy, find events around the area thanks to ItalybyUS Vicenza here!
There’s even an upcoming Grape Harvest & Grape Stomp! Find more details here.

Apple Harvest

Apple picking and harvesting is fun for the entire family! The best time is typically the end of September through October, based on the weather in your region. To find an apple picking or even an apple festival near you, google your region/state + “apple harvest”!

I love all things apple – apple strudel, apple chips, apple butter – so when I saw a post pop up on Facebook from a local guide advertising an “apple harvest and strudel cooking class in a typical Trentino Maso amidst the Garda lake Mountains”, it sounded like a day in heaven to me. And, it really was!

I went with a friend and we joined a group of people led by our guide, Alex from Alexpore – Italy Tours & Experiences. He drove us a few hours north of Lake Garda where we arrived at an organic farm, Agriturismo Maso Alle Rose. Everything is produced on-site and they have many different products including walnuts, pears, plums, and peaches. 100% of their products are either sold in local markets or there at the farm.

We were then shown how to properly pick the apple, which is trickier than you might think. The apples are placed in specific crates based on size. For example, the nice apples go to the market to be sold, the smaller apples go in a crate to make juice, and the middle-sized apple are dehydrated for chips.

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Once we picked a LOT of apples, we got to see how the juice is made. At the organic farm, no sugar or water is added. It’s 100% apple juice. Sometimes, when they have enough juice left over, they’ll keep it to do apple cider vinegar. This process takes 2 months to produce vinegar, and juice only takes 1-2 days.

After enjoying an incredible lunch with vegetables from the farm, we went down into the basement/production area to begin making the apple chips. A fancy machine splits the apples, takes the center and the end off, and then it was up to us to lay the apple chips out to be dehydrated. We filled up sheet after sheet of apple chips and stacked them.

At the end of the day, we learned how to make apple strudel using the following ingredients: flour, butter, water, apple pieces, and walnuts! MM MM mm it was delicious!

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Pumpkin Patch

One of my most favorite things to do is to pick out pumpkins for decorating and carving. If I was better at cooking, I’d probably pick out a few pumpkins to make a mean pumpkin pie (from my mom’s recipe) or some pumpkin soup. But instead, I’ll stick to decorating my house in every nook and cranny with colorful pumpkins.

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I love to make a nice table arrangement, either on my dining room table, in the kitchen, or on any side table throughout the house. It adds a little spark of color to my all-white home.

This year, in the spirit of all things pumpkin, I’ll be attending the largest pumpkin festival in the world at Ludwigsburg, Germany. They even have pumpkin races. You can find out more about the festival here which runs through the beginning of November. I’ll report back on how the festival goes and of course share tons of photos!

Find a pumpkin patch near you and enjoy taking your kids to do some pumpkin pickin’ or shopping for the perfect fall decor!

I love fall for so many reasons. When I’m not doing one of these three outdoor fall activities, you can find me hiking in the cooler weather and seeing the leaves change colors. What are some of your favorite fall activities? Let me know in the comments below!

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