For over 18 years, my best friend and I have shared a unique tradition. Our birthdays happen to be six months apart from each other, which makes our celebrating a two-for-one special.

Rather than giving gifts, we prefer to seek adventure — specifically with the exploration of food in mind. We always have fun and love the opportunity to reconnect, relax and recharge.

We booked a cute Airbnb in the charming town of Port Hope and casually drove down Highway 28. Along the way, we spotted the sparkling water of Rice Lake and we saw many picturesque farms with horses, cows and even sheep.

A spread on display with goods from Stapleton’s and Happenstance.

As we were getting closer to our destination, we noticed a large field full of pumpkins and a sign that said that Stapleton’s Farm Market was open. With thoughts of pumpkin carving in mind, we got out and began to adventure through the pumpkin bins as we watched a family giggling through the pumpkin patch and did not want to spoil their fun.

Originally, our plans were to try a few of the local restaurants until we noticed that the farm stand had fresh produce, baked goods, meats and cheeses. We couldn’t resist and after walking around the store twice, we found a beautiful assortment of items that piqued our interest, including red pepper jelly, a steak and mushroom meat pie, a chicken à........

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