The fall season in Whatcom County offers mugs of fresh apple cider, wine and cheese tasting, along with wagon rides through the pumpkin patch as locals celebrate their immense harvest bounty. Follow this itinerary for a full day of fun on the farms.
Whatcom County Farm Tour
In the height of harvest season, Eat Local Month is a reminder to celebrate the bounty in Whatcom County’s backyard, and support the folks who grow, raise and prepare our food by eating locally. This year the celebrations are bigger than ever with a new weekend long Food Fest and the expansion of the Whatcom County Farm Tour.
Each year, the second Saturday in September opens the harvest season with the Whatcom County Farm Tour hosted by Sustainable Connections. Numerous farms throughout the county present a public open house on this day, inviting visitors to return throughout the season.
A. Bellingham Visitor Information Center
Open 7 days a week, this is a great place to grab a copy of the Whatcom Food & Farm Finder, produced by Sustainable Connections – an organization dedicated to maintaining a thriving local economy – and talk to a pro about what’s happening in the county on the day you arrive.
B. Bellewood Farms
Home to 24,000 apple trees, Bellewood Farms is known as Honeycrisp headquarters. Stop in at the farm store to taste the freshest apples, pressed cider, home-baked pie, honey roasted peanut butter, and special recipe caramel sauce. Visitors are also welcome to tour the orchard and view the packing and juice lines. Open daily Sept-Dec.
C. Appel Farms
This family dairy farm has been making artisan cheeses for over 30 years in the Dutch tradition. Visitors are invited to taste a wide variety of flavored Goudas in the charming cheese shoppe adjacent to the barn. Then learn about unique cheeses like Quark and Paneer. Open Mon-Sat.
D. Samson Estates Winery
Located in the heart of raspberry country, Samson Estates is both a working raspberry farm and a boutique winery. Winemaker Rob Dhaliwal offers five traditional viniferous varieties using Washington State grapes. He also produces unique fruit and dessert wines using local raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and hazelnuts. The tasting room is open Fri – Sun throughout the fall.
E. Cloud Mountain Farm
This is the place to be the first weekend in October for the annual Fall Fruit Festival. Taste 200 varieties of common and uncommon apples, pears and table grapes, as well as hand-pressed cider, nuts, rare fruit jellies and sauces. Farm experts teach the names of each variety and advise how to grow them at home. Live music starts toes to tapping as tummies fill with homegrown goodness. Cloud Mountain also offers a pumpkins patch throughout the fall. Open Wed – Sat. Feb – Nov.
F. North Fork Brewery
What would fall be without a tasty ale to wash it all down? Finish off your day with a trip up the Mountain Baker Highway to the quirky North Fork Brewery, Beer Shrine and Wedding Chapel for a hand-tossed pizza made with local ingredients and a traditional British-style ale served in a rustic and friendly atmosphere.