Fall is one of Eckert’s most popular seasons, when families can spend a day picking apples and pumpkins, riding wagons, exploring seasonal activities and stocking up on produce and other goods.
Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins are available at all four Eckert’s locations in Belleville, Millstadt, Grafton and Kentucky. Millstadt and Kentucky offer activities including haunted hayrides, bonfires and pig races, while Grafton provides views from its blufftop setting. In Belleville, Eckert’s hosts Jack’s Lighted Trail, a nighttime walk through the cornfields with entertainment for kids and adults.
The seasonal activities are about more than entertainment. The Eckert family has been farming since 1837, and connecting visitors with the source of their food remains central to the business. “It’s really grounding to literally see it growing and take a bite of something that you picked yourself,” said Angie Eckert, vice president of retail operations.
Eckert’s grows a variety of seasonal produce beyond apples and pumpkins, including several types of squash. The farm grows acorn squash in green, orange and white varieties, along with spaghetti squash, butternut squash, pie pumpkins and red kuri, or Hokkaido, squash. Most produce is grown at the Belleville farm, where shoppers will find the greatest variety, though offerings vary by location.
Much of that produce also makes its way into local restaurant kitchens, including a partnership with Casa Don Alfonso at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Following a successful summer peach collaboration, the restaurant’s fall menu will feature Eckert’s apples, apple cider, butternut squash and spaghetti squash. The Wassail di Casa cocktail combines apple cider with bourbon and baking spices, while butternut squash soup is topped with hazelnut crumble, thyme and shaved pecorino. A Nerano-style zucchini flan features spaghetti squash, while a caramel apple mousse highlights the farm’s apples.
Eckert’s also has longstanding relationships with area businesses. Schnucks carries its apples and apple cider, while Narwhal’s Crafted and Benny’s Pizza in Belleville use the farm’s cider in beverages. The farm also works with wholesale buyers who supply its produce to local restaurants.
For another way to experience the fall harvest, visitors can stop by Eckert’s Cider Shed or take a Hard Cider Crafting Tour in Belleville, where they can sample a selection of the farm’s hard ciders, all made with Eckert’s apples. The lineup includes strawberry, blackberry, peach and apple ciders, along with flavors such as raspberry, pineapple, honey-and-lavender Beekeeper, caramel apple and cider doughnut. Guests can taste their way through the different varieties and see how the flavors of the apples come through in each cider.
For those already thinking ahead to holiday gifting, Eckert’s is a great place to stock up on edible gifts. The farm stores carry fruit wines, jams, jellies, honey, pickles, apples and cider, along with baked goods including pies, breads and brownies. The Belleville location also has a deli and meat department, where shoppers can find local beef and pork, housemade sausages and seasonal prepared foods.
Whether picking an apple in the orchard, sampling cider or bringing home a squash to cook for dinner, Eckert said the goal is to create memories around food and the farm. “We just try to make that experience special,” she said.
This article appears in October 2026.