Savor the Season
Pumpkin treats, apple cider, homemade baked goods and hearty bowls make October a delicious time to explore southeastern Indiana.
There is something about October that makes us hungry for the season.
Maybe it is the first roadside display piled high with pumpkins and gourds. Maybe it is the smell of barbecue drifting across a farm, a cup of fresh cider on a cool afternoon or something warm simmering in a kettle. Or perhaps it is a homemade pie, cake or cookie made from a recipe that has been part of the family for years.
Across southeastern Indiana, October brings plenty of opportunities to taste fall close to home. Family farms serve seasonal treats. Downtown streets become tasting rooms. Bakers pull favorite recipes from their kitchens. And in Jennings County, dinner even comes with a little mystery.
So bring your appetite. We found plenty of fall worth tasting.
Featured Flavors
Pick Your Pumpkin, Stay for Dessert
Vogt Farm | Batesville
For many families, October is not complete until there is a pumpkin riding home in the back seat. At Vogt Farm, finding that pumpkin is only the beginning.
The farm celebrates its 31st annual Pumpkin Festival this year, welcoming visitors on weekends throughout October. A horse-drawn trolley carries guests out to the pumpkin patch, while a corn maze, pony rides, petting zoo, kids play area, crafts and antiques give families plenty of reasons to stick around.
There is even an unexpected festival celebrity: JJ the Camel.
Then there is the food. Homemade pumpkin desserts and BBQ pork sandwiches have become part of the festival tradition, giving visitors another reason to linger after choosing the perfect pumpkin.
The Pumpkin Festival continues Oct. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission and parking are free, and purchases are cash or check only.
A trolley ride, a field full of pumpkins and something homemade waiting when you get back may be about as close as we get to putting October on a plate.
Bring a Spoon
Soup, Stew, Chili & Brew | Madison
Some fall events are about pumpkins. Madison’s may be better approached with an empty stomach.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, downtown Madison hosts the 24th annual Soup, Stew, Chili & Brew Festival, bringing local businesses and nonprofit organizations together along Main Street for an afternoon built around some of fall’s most comforting foods.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., cooks serve up soups, stews and chili while live music, shopping and beer and wine gardens add to the atmosphere.
The fun is in sampling.
Rather than choosing one bowl and calling it lunch, visitors purchase festival tickets and work their way from booth to booth. A little chili here. A creamy soup there. Then perhaps a hearty stew that calls for another taste.
Because portions are available in several sizes, ordering more than once feels less like overindulging and more like proper research.
What makes the event especially fitting for Madison is that the food does more than fill bowls. Local businesses, organizations and community groups become the cooks, turning Main Street into one long outdoor gathering place.
On a cool October afternoon, that sounds like a pretty good recipe.
Festival tickets are $1 each. Current serving prices: 4 oz. for 4 tickets, 6 oz. for 5 tickets and 8 oz. for 6 tickets. Admission to the festival itself is free.
A Sweeter Side of October
Ohio County Historical Society Bake-Off | Rising Sun
Fall flavors do not always come from a festival food truck.
Sometimes they start with a mixing bowl and a favorite recipe.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Ohio County Historical Society is inviting bakers of all ages to Rising Sun for a competition where shortcuts are off the table.
Cookies, cakes, cheesecakes and pies must be made from scratch. No store-bought mixes. No premade cookie or pie dough. No store-bought fillings or icing.
Bakers must also submit a typed or handwritten recipe with each entry, and blind judging begins at 1 p.m. after entries arrive by noon.
There are three age divisions, from children through adults, with $50 prizes awarded for Best Cookies, Best Cake, Best Cheesecake and Best Pie in each category.
Visitors get to enjoy the results, too. A tasting table will be available for guests and participants, with donations and entry fees benefiting the Ohio County Historical Society.
It is a smaller event than some of October’s larger festivals, but that is part of its charm. A bake-off brings fall back into the kitchen, where favorite recipes are measured, mixed and often passed down one batch at a time.
More Flavors to Find
Apples, Cider and a Taste of the Orchard
Doll’s Orchard Cider Daze | Oldenburg | Saturday, Oct. 3 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
October gets off to a flavorful start at Doll’s Orchard Cider Daze, where apples take center stage.
Visitors can pick apples, stop by the sale barn and try the apple cannon. Mike Bentz of Bentz Farm & Apiary will demonstrate an antique cider press and bring along an observation beehive, offering a closer look at two traditions closely tied to orchard season.
Lunch is covered, too. Black’s BBQ will serve from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Creek Bottom Brewery will pour beer and hard cider from noon to 5 p.m. Live music by Craig Quick runs from 1 to 4 p.m.
With fresh apples, old-fashioned cider pressing, barbecue and hard cider all in one stop, Cider Daze makes a fitting way to kick off October.
Fresh From the Market
Lawrenceburg Farmers & Artisans Market | Through Oct. 10
October brings the final Saturdays of the season at the Lawrenceburg Farmers & Artisans Market, held at Civic Park Pavilion.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., shoppers can browse local and regional farmers, artisans, makers and other vendors before the market wraps up for the year.
For a fall-flavor outing, keep an eye out for seasonal produce, baked goods, honey, jams, preserves and other items worth taking home to the kitchen.
Sometimes the best taste of fall is the one you carry home in a market bag.
Follow the Smell From the Smoker
Stream Cliff Old Barn Christmas Market | Commiskey | Oct. 9-10
REMC Connect readers may remember Stream Cliff Farm from our earlier feature. In October, there is another reason to make a return trip.
The Old Barn Christmas Market fills the historic barn, chapel and outdoor spaces with handmade, vintage and repurposed finds, but food lovers may want to follow the smell from the smoker.
Farm-smoked pulled pork and other food will be served from the Chuck Wagon, while the farm’s restaurant and winery will also be open.
The market runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
It may have “Christmas” in the name, but an October visit still comes with plenty of fall flavor.
The Spirited Side of Fall
Dinner With a Side of Mystery
Hector's Haunted Evening | Vernon | Oct. 16-17
The Jennings County Historical Society celebrates the 15th year of its fall fundraiser Oct. 16 and 17 with Hector’s Haunted Evening Ghost Walk and Mystery Dinner. Volunteers and local youth bring Jennings County folklore to life around the historic town square, sharing stories of unexplained happenings dating back to the late 1800s. Among them is the mysterious story of “Hector,” whose tale visitors will discover along the way.
Ghost Walk tours begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Historical Society museum on Brown Street and leave every 15 to 20 minutes, with the final tour departing at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 for ages 6 and older, while children 5 and younger are free.
Between tours, visitors can warm up with hot chocolate, apple cider and snacks inside the museum or gather around the outdoor fire pits.
For those looking to make a full evening of it, the Mystery Dinner begins at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $25 per person and available by reservation only. Organizers say the dinners typically sell out, so reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made by calling 812-346-8989.
Sip, Shop and Dine
HalloWine | Downtown Aurora | Oct. 23 | 5-9 p.m.
By late October, fall flavor moves downtown.
During HalloWine, participating Aurora businesses become wine-tasting stops as visitors make their way through downtown with a free Wine Walk Card.
Along the way, guests can shop local, enjoy wine samples and enter door-prize drawings.
The card also includes dining and treat coupons that are good throughout the weekend, giving visitors another reason to explore Aurora’s restaurants and shops after the wine walk ends.
No ticket is required to participate. Wine tastings are for guests age 21 and older.
Whether your perfect October taste is a pumpkin dessert, a steaming bowl of chili, fresh cider, homemade pie or a glass of wine downtown, there are plenty of ways to savor the season without traveling far.
And perhaps that is the best part of fall in southeastern Indiana. The food often comes with a story, the traditions are close to home and there is always another stop worth making.
So bring your appetite, check the calendar and enjoy October while it lasts.
