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Fall is peak season for crisp apples, award-winning beer and flavorful coffees — and our local retailers are delivering on all fronts. Read on for U-pick apple orchards, information about Alesong taking home gold at a huge beer competition, plus new sandwiches and coffee flavors at Peek-A-Boo, lunch-and-learns in the country and more.
Two places to pick apples for your fall treats
Different apple varieties shine in specific culinary roles. Tart Granny Smiths hold their shape in pies while softer apples like McIntosh, that break down easily, are ideal for applesauce and apple butter. Balanced varieties like Jonagold work well for baking and snacking.
In years past, River Bend Farm offered U-pick apples, but it is not opening its fields this year. Many farms, including Herrick Farms, don’t have U-pick but do have picked apples at their farmstand. Queener Farm is much smaller than other farms in the area and as of Oct. 3, reported that their U-pick apples are already sold out for the year, but prepicked apples and apple cider are available at the farmstand.
For U-pick apples, try these two places.
Detering Orchards
Detering Orchards has multiple apple varieties, including 12 that ripen in October: Spartan, Golden Delicious, Cameo, Empire, Mutsu, Red Delicious, Melrose, Fuji, Idared, Granny Smith, Rome Beauty and Braeburn. U-pick apples are $1.19 per pound.
“I never recommend anyone prejudge our apples based on their variety,” said Detering Orchards owner Stephen Demergasso. Rather, I recommend coming out and sampling in the field to see what you like on the tree.”
30946 Wyatt Drive, Harrisburg
541-995-6341
Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
U-pick closes at 4 p.m.
ME and Moore
ME and Moore farm grows a variety of garden crops but it specializes in apples, with 11 varieties available from mid-August through late November. Gravensteins ripen first, followed by Akane, Gala, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Empire, Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, Spitzenberg, Braeburn and Fuji. Prices are $1.70 per pound for less than 20 pounds or $1.30 per pound for more than 20 pounds.
ME and Moore is a fourth-generation farm started by Scott Moore and Mary Evonuk Moore in 1989. Son Brian Moore and his wife, Leah, farm under the business name Evenfall.
34137 Seavey Loop Rd.
541-741-4790
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arrive by 4:30 p.m. for U-pick
Alesong wins Gold for Mezcla at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival
For 10 consecutive years, an Alesong Brewing & Blending beer has been recognized as one of the best brews in the nation at the country’s largest professional beer competition. At the 2025 Great American Beer Festival, held in Denver Oct. 8-10, judges evaluated 108 beer categories and six cider categories.
Alesong was recognized with a gold medal in the Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour beer category for its Mezcla, a tart farmhouse ale aged for more than a year in añejo tequila barrels, which adds smokiness. Xicha Brewing contributed fire-roasted pineapple and morita chili peppers to the blend.
“It’s awesome that we’ve been able to win medals at the Great American Beer Festival for 10 years in a row, and it’s even more special this year that we won with a beer made with our friends at Xicha Brewing,” said Brian Coombs, director of operations and co-founder of Alesong Brewing & Blending, in a press release about the win. “It’s such an honor to be recognized at this level, and it encourages our entire team to keep pursuing the highest quality and creativity in what we love to do.
ColdFire Brewing, with a tasting room in Eugene and production in Junction City, won bronze for its Czech-Style Pale Lager.
Alesong Brewing & Blending
80848 Territorial Hwy.
530-386-6851
Peek-A-boo now brewing coffee and serving sandwiches
When Alma Vasquez opened her Mexican ice cream shop Peek-A-Boo Delight, in December 2024, she planned to expand the menu and start making coffees. Her coffee maker is now up and running and patrons can get ham sandwiches and veggie sandwiches made on croissants, dressed with zippy chipotle mayo made in-house, and warmed up in a panini press, in addition to the menu of Mexican snacks such as tamales, elote (grilled corn), and cucumber-, corn chip- and ramen-based treats.
Vasquez is offering a drip house coffee; a horchata latte; lattes made with mazapan (sweetened almond candy) or Duvalin (a sweet option that tastes like vanilla frosting); a horchata matcha; a banana matcha latte; or a strawberry matcha latte. The sandwiches and coffees are available daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the ice cream shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
861 Willamette St.
Camas Country Mill lunch-and-learns
Join Camas Country Mill at its Junction City bakery for a series of lunch-and-learn events on the second Tuesday and last Tuesday of the month through May. The events are held inside a schoolhouse dating to 1888. For $12 attendees get soup and fresh baked sourdough bread and an hour presentation on the topic of the day. Lunch runs from 11 to 11:30 a.m., with the presentation from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, Lookout contributor Bob Welch will talk about his books and adventures.
91948 Purkerson Road, Junction City
541-225-5640
The Annex open as of Oct. 14
In last week’s Food Scene, Lookout reported on a new campus spot, The Annex, which was teased on Instagram as coming sometime in October. The spot, near the University of Oregon campus at 1236 Kincaid St., opened Tuesday Oct. 14.
Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi Brewing Company’s founding brewer, confirmed in an email that The Annex will include a Ninkasi tasting room.
“It is multiuse and Farmers Union will have a spot in it as well as food carts,” Floyd said. “It is a project we joined and though The Annex is not Ninkasi-branded there will be branding inside our area.”
Floyd said The Annex has a stage and vibes similar to Ninkasi’s defunct Better Living Room, and there will be a dock sales area for purchases of Ninkasi beers, ciders and seltzers.
