Nothing is more succulent than freshly picked fruit right off the limb. With the romantic fall colours and autumn air, heading outdoors with a cute sun hat on your head, a cute basket in your hand and a cute boy on your arm seems like the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. For everyone staying in the city this Thanksgiving long-weekend, round up your family, friends and lovers (well, lover, I suppose) for a sojourn out to the Quebec countryside (it’s worth it, I tell you) and spend some time apple-picking!

Cidrerie et Vergers Léo Boutin
710, rang de la montage, Mont-Saint Grégoire
Tours range between $5-$9/person, picking included.
About 45 minutes south-east of Montreal, this orchard and cider factory offers cute wagon tours through the fields; trees yield five different types of apples from August to October. Bottles of fresh cider can be purchased on-site, as well as goodies like apple jellies and jams. Group lunch and dinner menus are also available when booked in advance.
http://www.vergerboutin.com/

La Ferme Quinn
2495 boul. Perrot sud, Notre-Dame de Île Perrot
Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm
$2/person to pick, or $15 for an 18lb bag of fresh apples. Pumpkins are $0.45/lb.
Apple and pumpkin-picking are the key fall activities at this Île Perrot farm, just west of Montreal, which operates and sells fresh vegetables practically year-round. Check out their website for great recipe ideas!
http://www.quinnfarm.qc.ca/index-e.php

Le Verger du Flanc Nord
835, chemin Rouillard (via chemin Authier), Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Monday to Sunday, 8am to 7pm
In the east, this orchard grows over a dozen types of apples on 10 hectares of land (you know you want a tractor ride) and is notorious for its homemade patisseries and cakes.
http://www.vergerduflancnord.com/index_fr.html

–By Tyler Yank