Indian Head Farm, the town's source of fresh food in Berlin MA

If you are looking for a place to buy freshly harvested fruits and vegetables, look no further than Indian Head Farm in Berlin, MA. Take exit 26 off I-495 in Massachusetts and head West on Route 62. Take a left onto Pleasant Street at the corner just before Clinton Savings Bank and keep driving until you see the road sign in front of the farm, which will be on your left. The store is open for business from the beginning of July until the end of November.

Indian Head Farm has been owned by the Wheeler family for 175 years. They are very friendly folk and the food they grow is always fresh and delicious. You can feel its goodness as it travels all the way down to your stomach. They sell not only fruits and vegetables, but also herbs, fresh flowers, and bouquets of dried flowers. Right now they are proudly displaying their bright orange pumpkins and other gourds. The friendly, cozy warmth of the farm can be felt from the road as you draw near. One of the things I like about the farm is its close proximity to where I live, Mosaic Commons Cohousing at Sawyer Hill Ecovillage . Many of my neighbors walk or cycle to the farm to procure their food, as do my daughter and I. When we do walk, there is a short cut that we take with a big oak tree to sit under while we rest and feast on a peach or apple, or two.

Step inside the shop to choose from bins of beautiful, delicious fruits and vegetables, brought in straight from their fields. During the summer months patrons are invited to pick their own berries, such as strawberries. There is a greenhouse on the site early in the summer that sells flowers and food that ripens before the store opens in June. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are also grown there in the summer, and apples in the fall.

In a side niche there are flowers drying in bunches from a rack on the ceiling. There are also bouquets of fresh flowers to purchase.

The farm also sells cold beverages in their shop, and the best blueberry muffins for miles are baked daily and sold there. They host a bench to rest your feet and eat. In addition to the fresh produce and blueberry muffins, the farm sells jams, jellies, sauces, and pickled produce, perfect for spreading on homemade buttermilk biscuits. There is also a room full of dried flower bouquets that make lovely gifts for all occasions, and fill the space with a soft, natural fragrance.

Learn something while you're there

Local residents of Berlin, Hudson, Clinton, and Marlborough attend some of the classes offered at Indian Head Farm. They also host educational activity programs for children. Most recently, I attended a presentation by a gentleman named John Root, who brought guests on a walk to identify and sample wild edible plants. My daughter also enjoyed the experience and can identify "sour leaf" whenever she sees it, which makes a lovely impromptu snack.

Autumn is peak season for road trips by "leaf peepers," so if you are on your way to see Mount Greylock, take a detour to stretch by stopping at Indian Head Farm to buy some food for the road.