Acton Eats: The Farm Stands of Route 119

Part 2 of a series

When I was little, my family would regularly take a fall leaf-peeping tour along Route 119, through Groton and Pepperell and to points beyond. Today, this road is considerably more built up than it was when I was a kid, but it's still a lovely drive. And plenty of farm stands still dot the route.

In some respects, the farm stands in this area are all quite similar. For example, they tend to carry many of the same products, from the same handful of producers. The cider is probably from either Box Mill Farm in Stow or Carlson Orchards in Harvard. And you'll often find honey products from Boston Honey Company in Holliston or cheeses from Smith's Country Cheese in Winchendon.

But each farm stand also brings a certain uniqueness, as well. Take the cluster of stands on Route 119 in Littleton, for example.

Spring Brook Farm (www.springbrookfarmcountry.com, 978-486-3249), located at 591 Great Road, is a great place to go for pumpkins. You'll find gorgeous specimens of all sizes out front, and at 39 cents a pound, they are cheaper than most of the other places in the area. Owned by the Matheson family, Spring Brook Farm is also one of the oldest farms around and has been in operation since 1713. Though the vegetables grown there are not organic, they are grown using integrated pest management (IPM) practices, to keep the use of chemicals down to a bare minimum.

And vegetables are not all that Spring Brook raises. The farm also sells its own pork and beef, feeding the animals grain grown right on the farm and eschewing the use of hormones or antibiotics. You can buy this meat in many forms--including steaks, ribs, bacon, and even sausages--and the prices are downright reasonable. Other coolers in the farm store are filled with products like organic milk, fresh eggs, and New England cheeses, all of which are clearly labeled with their producer and place of origin.

Spring Brook's farm store also doubles as old-time country store, selling products such as games, books, and antiques. One shelf is loaded with what we used to be called "penny candy," though you'd be hard pressed to find anything that costs less than 15 cents. And in the greenhouse, you'll find live plants are for sale.

The similarly named Springdell Farm (www.springdellfarms.com, 978-486-3865) is situated just a stone's throw away, at 571 Great Road. Like Spring Brook Farm, Springdell is a family-run farm and has been so for four generations. And like its neighbor, Springdell sells vegetables grown using IPM, and the farm also sells its own Black Angus beef, from cattle that are grass-fed and raised without hormones or antibiotics.

But Springdell Farm differs from its neighbors in that it offers customers the option of buying a share of the farm's produce, in an arrangement known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The CSA allows you to pay one fixed price for a weekly allotment of farm products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, eggs, honey, cut flowers, and more. If the farm has a banner year, the CSA member reaps the benefits. Likewise, if it's a down year, the member shares the risk. If you are committed to eating locally grown produce, a CSA is a great way to go.

Springdell also stands apart in that it sells outdoor furniture, including handmade dining sets, Adirondack chairs, and wagons.

Directly across the street from Spring Brook Farm, at 600 Great Road, is Gary's Farm Stand (978-486-8640). This farm stand had the largest array of fresh vegetables on the day my family visited and is especially known for its corn, which was still available as of Columbus Day. "It's delicious and organic," owner Gary Wilkins tells us, as he rings up our order himself. The farm was also serving free samples of its melons on the day of our visit.

While most of the farm stands we visited sell loose fruits and vegetables, Gary's Farm also onions and potatoes in huge bags. This might come in handy for anyone with a lot of mouths to feed or who has plenty of storage space at home. Piles of pumpkins are heaped in front of the building, alongside row after row of potted chrysanthemums. Gary's is also a purveyor of both fruit and meat pies, which are available frozen or pre-baked. Thousands of these pies are baked every year by Gary's wife, Barbara.

But Gary's wife is not the only family member to get in on the act. The extended Wilkins family grows crops on several farms in the area and owns several other businesses along Route 119 in Pepperell and Townsend. We picked up a "mile high" apple pie at the R. Wilkins Farm Stand in Pepperell, which Gary opened decades ago with his brother Russell. We're told each of these pies is made with a whopping four pounds of apples.

Finally, if you'd like to get out in the fields yourself and search for the Great Pumpkin, head down the road to Pickard Farm (www.pickardfarm.com, 978-486-4141), located at 155 Great Road. Run by Dan Pickard, the farm offers pick-your-own pumpkins through the end of October. And while you're there, you can buy a load of seasoned firewood to keep you warm on those chilly winter nights. Those will be here before you know it.

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Next: The Super Stands