Miles Farmers Market is all about offering the best bounty fall has to offer

By Laura Briedis

As summer fades to fall, we start to crave comfort foods.

At Miles Farmers Market, the store is packed with autumn faves, including all things apple—from Dutch apple pies to apple-stuffed sausages, apple and sage-stuffed pork chops, gallons of apple cider, and apple fritters on the weekends.

In the fruit bins, you will find more than 30 varieties of apples, which are freshly picked in Ohio orchards, as well as some varieties that come from a small farm in New York and the prolific apple-growing orchards in Washington.

“It is peak season for apple harvest in Ohio right now,” says store manager Justin Golobek. “We will have a couple of new varieties, including the Ludacrisp, which tastes like Juicy Fruit Gum, with a unique fruity flavor. Another new customer favorite is the EverCrisp apple. It is a cross between a Fuji and Honeycrisp and is juicy but dense, so it keeps for a long time.”

In addition to apples, Miles Farmers Market has one of the area’s biggest displays of pumpkins and gourds skirting the front of the store. More than just your typical orange pumpkins, you will find shades of white and yellow and some with wart-like growths to add some interest. And the gourds range from white to green to orange and come in some unique shapes, like the snake and gooseneck gourds.

Pumpkin also is a featured flavor in some of the food items inside the market.

“Our bakery has created a new Pumpkin Parfait, which consists of a Snickerdoodle-type cookie with added pumpkin pie spice, layered with pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream,” says Justin.

Miles Farmers Market is known for its 20-plus pie varieties, including pumpkin and five different apple varieties.

In addition to the traditional apple pie, you’ll find Honeycrisp Apple Pie, Apple Caramel Walnut Pie, Dutch Apple Pie with crumb topping, and Apple Crisp Pie.

“Our ovens run 24 hours a day the week of Thanksgiving, as we bake more than 4,000 pies for holiday orders,” says Justin.

Across from the bakery in the meat department, a new hot food case was installed earlier this fall and is filled with prepared meals, such as lasagna, sausage and peppers, fried chicken and ribs.

“Now our homemade food is available all day long with packaged grab-and-go meals,” says Justin. “We have lots of workers coming in for lunch because the food is already prepared and there is no wait.”

Closer to the holidays, the case will be filled with all the fixings needed for the perfect holiday meal. “We will have mashed potatoes, stuffing and green beans along with roasted turkey. You can get a scoop of each of the sides, or have us package the whole meal,” notes Justin.

It’s not too early to start planning your holiday meals, cautions Justin. “We are encouraging customers to place their turkey orders early this year as the food industry has been hampered by ongoing supply chain issues,” he says.

Miles Very Own Turkeys are fresh, never frozen, and they are free range.

“Our turkeys are hormone- and antibiotic-free, and are humanely raised,” says Vinny Lavelle, meat department manager. “They are available in all sizes, and you can pick up just a couple of turkey breasts or up to 25-pound whole turkeys.”

“Our turkeys are boxed and include cooking instructions as well as some recipes,” he adds. “Plus, we have fully cooked turkeys.”

In addition to turkeys, Miles’ Butcher Shoppe is stocked with ham, beef tenderloin and prime rib for your holiday dinner.

Miles Farmers Market is located at 28560 Miles Road, in Solon. Visit MilesFarmersMarket.com for store details.