Explore a pumpkin patch and Turkish food festival this week in Atlanta

This week in Atlanta, get in the autumn spirit with a fall festival and pumpkin patch in East Atlanta, taste cured meats from Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams & Bacon and check out a Turkish food festival in Alpharetta.

East Atlanta Nature Sanctuary Fall Festival

At this fall festival in East Atlanta, browse a pumpkin patch grown by Navajo Nation farmers in the Southwest, shop from a variety of micro bakers and backyard growers and learn more about six acres of land housing a forest, farm, church and garden.

The East Atlanta Nature Sanctuary is working to purchase six acres of land owned by the Atlanta Mennonite Church to preserve it as space for educational and public use. The grounds include outdoor classrooms, the Paideia School’s agricultural program and the Language Garden, said Sydney Sevdalis, founder of Foodwork.

This year’s fall festival will introduce the community to the space and feature the annual pumpkin patch fundraiser for Paideia and the Language Garden.

During the festival, there will be the Neighborhood Garden Market featuring a variety of cottage bakers and backyard growers offering their goods. Attendees can also visit the Garden Exchange Table for a fall plant swap where people can exchange seeds, plants and gently used garden tools with each other.

The market is run by Sevdalis’ organization, Foodwork, in an effort to offer hyperlocal growers and food makers an opportunity to sell their products at a festival without the high barrier of entry often found in traditional farmers markets, Sevdalis said.

Throughout the rest of the day, enjoy family yoga at 10 a.m., a kids’ music class at 11 a.m. and activities like making nature crowns, blending one’s own tea, face painting and watercolor crafts.

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Free. 1088 Bouldercrest Drive SE, Atlanta. instagram.com/foodworksouth

Salt, Time and the Smoky Mountain Ham: A Conversation with Darrell Benton

The Museum of Design Atlanta, also known as MODA, will host one of the most famous names in cured meats this week as part of its current exhibit, “Salt: A Design Story.”

Darrell Benton, who runs Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams with his father, Allan Benton, will give a talk at MODA about the process of making his family’s famed hams and bacon on Wednesday evening. Darrell Benton left his career as a radiologist to help his father run the Tennessee-based business, and Benton’s products can be found on many restaurant menus around Atlanta.

The company has also partnered with High Wire Distilling in Charleston, South Carolina, to make Smoked Jimmy Red Bourbon, which is distilled from heirloom corn hung in the Benton’s smokehouse.

The evening will finish with a tasting of Benton’s country ham and bacon, as well as the Benton’s Smoked Jimmy Red Bourbon.