Appleton Farms

Update! Due to weather we are keeping the store closed today and tomorrow. See you all next week!

A beautiful morning at the farm- and the calm before the storm. While we love when Mother Nature makes her presence known, it does change our outdoor operations. So please note the following updates for this weekend!

All weekend programming has been cancelled
The Farm store will be open 10am-1pm on Saturday, Closed Sunday
Run for Amy has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 4th

Please allow our team time after the wind dies down to assess our trails and check for fallen limbs and general safety. We will update our social media if we have to temporarily close any trails for cleanup on Monday!

Stay hunkered down everyone- and stock up on the good fresh baked stuff at the store in anticipation!

It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to cancel Farm Days on Sunday 9/20 due to inclement weather. We were so looking forward to a full weekend of fun, but Mother Nature has not cooperated with us. 🌧

As of now, there are still Saturday tickets, and it looks like a LOVELY day, so purchase them while they last for music, food, b**r, farm demos, facepainting, crafts & more!

Were you a ticket holder for Sunday? You were sent an email regarding the cancellation and will be fully refunded.

https://thetrustees.org/event/449199/ Book for Saturday!

With September in full swing, all we can think about at Appleton is Farm Days! Join us on September 19th and 20th for our favorite annual Fall event, where we celebrate the season with wood-fired pizza, local b**r and food vendors, live music, games & children's activities, crafts, farm demonstrations, meet the machines, hayrides and more! Tickets are on sale now, and advanced purchase is required, so snag them while you can to be part of it all. 🐄🚜🍕🍻👩🏾‍🌾

https://thetrustees.org/event/449199/

Brewing DownRiver Ice Cream True North Ale Company Giddings Band Ruth Rappaport

photo credit: Michael Otte

Our Fall Homeschool Programs are still open for registration! This series offers multiple 4-week sessions, each geared towards hands-on place-based learning. Through these sessions, students develop a better understanding of the world, the importance of its conservation, and how meaningful actions can make the changes they envision in the world. Imprint this powerful effect on your little learner by registering for one or more of these programs.

https://thetrustees.org/program/homeschool-programs-ipswich/

📖 Homeschool Scholars: Seasonal Rhythms
Thursdays, Oct 1, 2026 to Oct 22

📖 Homeschool Adventures: Session 1
Tuesdays, Sept 15th - Oct 6th

📖 Homeschool Adventures: Session 2
Tuesdays, Oct 13, 2026 to Nov 3

📖 Homeschool Scholars: Stories of the Farm & Coast
Thursdays, October 29 - November 19

We know that for a lot of you it's back to school week and a holiday weekend and the end of summer and everyone is just trying to survive the adjustment. BUT nothing helps give kids and grown ups alike a solid mental refresh like a day spent outdoors at a giant farm festival. For the kids- crafts, meet the machines, outdoor games, barnyard animals and the fresh air that makes them sleep so well at night. For adults- live music, local b**r, wood-fired pizza and if you're a parent, some exhausted kids who just ran outside for a few hours. This is all happening on September 19th and 20th at our Annual Farm Days festival. So make sure you're there!

Advanced ticket purchase required.
https://thetrustees.org/event/449199/

It's the perfect time to cozy up with a good book, and we've got some great options in stock at the farm store! "The Five Seasons Method", by Leda Elliot, is a wonderful guide and "gentle path toward emotional and spiritual balance". The author is of this book is a local renowned wellness coach and lucky for us, a long time CSA member and Trustees supporter. Just another reminder how fortunate we are to have such inciteful guests, creators, stewards and authors grace our community here at Appleton each day. We look forward to welcoming you on your next visit!

Appleton Staff Highlight: Livestock and Pasture Manager, Zoe MacKay

Zoe oversees the daily management of all of Appleton livestock, and the pastures that they call home, in addition to 140 acres of hay fields.

Big job? Yes. Rewarding Job? 100%!

On any given day, Zoe wears the hat of vet, mechanic, accountant, handy-person, landscaper and so much more. Because our cattle are rotationally grazed, a big portion of her work is strategizing their grazing plan. This includes moving the herd multiple times per week, constantly monitoring forage quality, tracking soil health and maintaining the fences and water lines needed for this process. Her deep knowledge and daily handling of the herd help form a special relationship between her and the animals. While certainly not domesticated, they still know Zoe is their person- she feeds them, waters them, ushers in their calves, and pours love into their daily care.

On September 12th and October 10th, you have an opportunity to join Zoe in her morning visit to the herd. Coffee with the Cows allows you to meet these mamas and their growing babies as they spend their morning grazing in our pastures. Coffee and pastries will be provided so you can "graze" alongside the cattle and enjoy the physiological benefits of being outside in the open air in the presence of these loveable creatures.

https://thetrustees.org/event/449394/

Join for a walking tour with our Trustees Agroecology team and Willows project consultants Meaghan Giroux and Eric Toensmeier, discussing the successes and challenges of establishing and maintaining our living willow fences over the last three years.

In 2023, The Trustees of Reservations received a Conservation Innovation Grant to explore the use of native shrub willows as a ‘living fence’ along sections of the extensive ditching system at Appleton Farms.

Agricultural ditches have been used to drain seasonally wet pastureland for hundreds of years. Although effective, they present challenges to pasture management--requiring livestock crossings, supplemental fencing, and renovation following extended livestock access.

Our willow planting sites act as physical barriers, and we continue to explore their role in bank stabilization, runoff filtration, habitat enhancement, and perhaps most interestingly, supplemental livestock fodder.

After the event, you will have worked up an appetite, so join us for lunch!
While this event is free, registration is required.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNDRdvsrZLA5vt_KSfCp0muS8Z34jyxikfoPjJtnlDnfh2bw/viewform?pli=1

Curious explorers ages 5-11 are invited to join us this fall in Ipswich for our new Homeschool Scholars & Homeschool Adventures drop-off program series. Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning programs engage learners in history, ecology, & outdoor skill-building through hands-on activities in nature. Families can sign up for 1 or more 4-week sessions taking place September-November, with meetings alternating between The Crane Estate & Appleton Farms.

https://thetrustees.org/program/homeschool-programs-ipswich/