Five Healthy Food Fests to Check Out This Fall
The Let’s Talk About Food Festival. Photo provided to bostonmagazine.com
Autumn festivals can be a slippery slope for New England foodies—as cold weather creeps in, the desire for comfort food can become too strong to resist. Fortunately, for every diet-busting festival, there’s a healthy, organic, or locally sourced counterpart less than an hour away.
Below, five healthy food festivals to whet your appetite this fall:
1. Let’s Talk About Food Festival
The fourth annual Let’s Talk About Food Festival returns to Copley as part of HUB Week, bringing with it nutritionists, cooking lessons, and edible gardens. The goal of this fest is to inspire thoughtful conversation about what’s on our plates, so organic and homegrown ingredients are guaranteed.
Oct. 3, 10:30 a.m., free, Copley Square, letstalkaboutfood.com.
2. The Cranberry Harvest Celebration
Hosted by A.D. Makepeace Company, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association, and Ocean Spray, this event celebrates its 12th year in October. Cranberry cooking demonstrations, tastings, wet harvests, and live music make it worth the trek.
Oct. 10 and 11, 10 a.m., $10, A.D. Makepeace Company Headquarters, 158 Tihonet Rd., Wareham, cranberries.org.
3. AppleFest
AppleFest is Wachusett Mountain’s most popular fall event, featuring over 75 farmers’ market booths, topped off with an Oktoberfest celebration. (Since it’s not diet-friendly, we’ll try to forget about the apple pie contest.)
Oct. 17 and 18, 10 a.m., $11 in advance/$14 at door, Wachusett Mountain Skiing, 499 Mountain Rd., Princeton, wachusett.com.
4. The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival
Every year, the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival’s sprawling array of chefs, tastings, and animal-free retail shows Boston it’s getting easier to go veg. Past exhibitors have included FoMu vegan ice cream and Taco Party vegan tacos.
Oct. 24 and 25, 11 a.m., free, The Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont St., bostonveg.org.
5. The Natural Living Expo
The Natural Living Expo isn’t strictly a food festival, but it does offer cooking demos, hundreds of Massachusetts-based food vendors, and a healthy food court–so why not? The expo’s website promises meal options that are vegetarian, organic, ethnic, sustainable, raw, and gluten-free.
Nov. 14, 9 a.m., $15, The Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Rd., Marlborough, naturalexpo.org.
