Ah, autumn! The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, as poet John Keats wrote in 1819. He was referring specifically to apples and now, a little more than 200 years later, the fruit is still prized. 

His poem did not continue on to praise apple crisp, though it certainly would have if he had gotten a chance to taste the delicious pastry created at Waters Farm in Sutton, 53 Waters Road.

The apple crisp stand is one of the most visited spots at the Annual Fall Farm Days held at Waters Farm on Oct. 18 and 19. But that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves. The work creating the apple crisp gets going on Saturday, Sept. 6, headed up by volunteer Norma Bedrosian and her team of helpers (and that can be you). 

The tasty tradition winds back to the orchards planted by the farm house’s original builder, Revolutionary War veteran Stephen Waters and his son John. The orchard was located on a slope heading down to Manchaug Pond. With additional orchards named Rhode Island and Connecticut  (the trees' place of origin)  the Waters family had more than 1000 trees.

One particular apple variety was noted for its ability to hold up well after being stored or shipped for long distances. This was the famous “Sutton Beauty” that Walter Waters, great-great grandson of Stephen wrote in his diary that the fruit was grafted from an old tree in the Connecticut Orchard. 

It was a firm, medium size apple and could be safely shipped as far away as England. Apples that weren’t shipped were turned into apple butter, apple brandy and cider, Walter wrote. The mill on the farm property pressed the Waters family’s own cider as well as those of neighboring farmers.

Last year, 40 volunteers worked a combined total of 150 hours peeling and prepping 23 bushels of apples (using a three-apple blend) from Sholan Farms, Leominster, to produce 165 pans of home-made apple crisp to be dished up warm Farm Days visitors.

If you would like to be part of this tradition, apple crisp making day happens from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sept. 6 at the First Congregational Church in Sutton Center. Visit www.watersfarm.org to sign up or for more information.

Another volunteer opportunity awaits on Saturday, Sept. 13, Oct. 4 and Oct 11 when helpers are needed for Volunteer Work Day from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Join a group of dedicated volunteers that work on grounds maintenance, small carpentry project, building clean-up and general farm work.

Also be sure to head to the Farm for a Tractor Pull from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14. Tractor drivers register at 9 a.m. and the pull starts at 10 a.m. It ends when the last tractor pulling the heaviest load crossed the finish line. Free for spectators.