Stouffville Santa Clause Parade

We were there - staff and their families; a great time was had by all.  Thanks to Laura and John for taking the initiative and working hard to make our presence in the parade possible.  Thanks to Markham Mower for loaning us their small tractor to pull our wagons.
You can catch us again at the Unionville parade.

Fraser Fir Christmas Trees are here

Time to start celebrating the Coming of Christmas.  The Fraser fir trees are here and the Balsam will be arriving soon. What a great smelling time of year. Oh to reboot the brain with the aroma of the trees.  Even the snow has arrived.  Apple cider is hot in the market so come on in and enjoy a cup.  Right now it is our central heating system, in other words, dress warm for the weather.

Soup is on each weekend.  Naresh is here to offer ideas on great ways to prepare those comfort foods inspired by the weather that get us through the winter.  We still have a great selection of Ontario apples including Honey Crisp and Ambrosia.

Christmas cookie trays start next week featuring gingerbread and shortbread cookies along with a selection of other yummy baked goodies.  They're great as hostess gifts, for office parties and just for nibbling on a nice selection of treats.

Time to get your freezer orders in for winter.  Bacon and sausage will be here soon.  We are currently taking orders for fresh turkeys and pies for Christmas.  Stock up your shelves with our homemade preserves and jams.

Come on in, enjoy all the great smells of Christmas.  We're open this Saturday and Sunday 9 -5 and beginning Thursday Nov 29th we'll be open daily till December 24th.

Time is flying by!

We're past the half way mark of November and time keeps marching on.  Soon our fall season will end; the corn maze will be combined, Jim will finish his plowing, the fall mums fade.  Our farm animals always love visitors though.

The best thing about farming is one season leads to another - for us it will be the Coming of Christmas.

Our Christmas trees will be arriving soon.  Balsam fir, Fraser fir and pine trees change the look of the farm from fall to winter - brrrr.  Hopefully this sunny weather will stay with us.

We are now taking orders for fresh Christmas turkeys and getting organized for our Christmas cookie trays.  Our market will transform after the American Thanksgiving from pumpkins to evergreens, snowflakes and candy canes.

Christmas may seem so far off at this moment but it will arrive quicker than you think.  Our farm is open November Thursdays to Sundays 9-5 then daily in December until December 24th.

Sunday November 4th Kennedy Rd. closure till 1 pm

Kennedy Road will be closed till 1 pm Sunday November 4th for a fund raising marathon.  Our farm and market will be open as soon as they open Kennedy Rd.

Dress warmly and wear rubber boots, we've had a few days of rain so the ground is boggy.  November weather can be pleasant but cool.  Dressing in layers and keeping warm helps you to enjoy the great outdoors.

November is a time to pause

November gives us the opportunity to catch our breath after the hectic buildup to Halloween and to pause before the busy Christmas season.   The beauty is in the browns of the trees and fields, the call of the geese heading south and the cool, cloudy skies.

It's also a time to cook all those great comfort foods.  Saturdays, Naresh will be taking some of the basics - onions, garlic, squash, sweet potatoes etc and creating hearty delicious soup.  He is passionate about all the delicious food grown in Ontario and is happy to share that passion giving you easy, quick ways to cook them.

We still have a great selection of Ontario apples - Empire, Mutsu, Macintosh, Fugi, Ambrosia, Honey Crisp and Russet.  We are now taking orders for Christmas turkeys and pies.

Our farm and market is open Thursday to Sundays in November from 9-5.  Come and enjoy the peacefulness of the November on the farm.  Its time to stock up for winter.

Halloween is coming soon

Although the pumpkin is closly linked with Halloween, it is also a symbol of the fall harvest - an edible and  fun one.  We've had a great pumpkin crop this year and supply in the fields and our Pumpkin Corral is good.  There are some real beauties out there.

Weather forcast for the weekend doesn't look exceptional but if you dress warmly with a raincoat and boots you'd be amazed at how pleasant it can turn out.  This weeks rain has made for some mud but you don't have to get dirty, the Pumpkin Corral is on grass.

This will be the last weekend for our Harvest Festival with all our extra activities (weather permitting) so come on out and enjoy.  Check out our festival page for complete details.

The corn maze, pedal karts and Enchanted Forest will still be available the first weekend in November. The corn maze is up until it is combined and there is no set time as of yet. 

Our farm is open Thursday till Sunday 9-5 in November then daily again with beautiful, fresh cut Christmas trees until December 24th.

Pumpkin Harvest Tours

Cultivating Curiosity, Planting Knowledge - it is what we strive for in our school tours.  October is a busy time of year, a fun time for the kids to learn about agriculture and where their food comes from.

Although limited, some times are still available for weekday group tours.

Don't delay in booking your group as space is filling up quickly.

Apples Galore

Mutsu, Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, Empire, Macintosh, Cortland,Cameo, Russet and Fugi - We have them all, fresh picked in our market.  Oh the smell, it is amazing.  The apples are crunchy, some are sweet, some tart, all are Ontario grown by John in Port Burwell.
Our apple cider is made from Ontario apples as well.
Come and enjoy!

Thanksgiving is Turkey Time

Our turkeys are doing well and many have been booked for dinner, but not all.  We'll have fresh turkeys in the market Friday around 3:00, ready for pick up.  Come and take one home, make your dinner a delicious one.
It is best to place an order to be sure we have one for you.  If you are phoning in a order wait till I finish my message and wait for the beep.  We need a phone number to confirm and at least a 4 lb weight range of biggest to smallest size you would like. 
Sorry, no promises on small turkeys.  We'll know sizes for sure Friday when they come in dressed and ready for dinner.

More Apples Are Now Here

Jim just picked up Cortland, Macs, Honey Crisp and Gala apples.  They'll be in the market today.  DELICIOUS!!!!! and ONTARIO GROWN!!!!!!!  We're looking forward to also having the Ambrosia and Fuji varieties.

The first batch of new crop apple cider is being delivered Thursday.  Due to the apple shortage this year there will be a price increase.  Supply is projected to last until Christmas.  We may miss out on  Cider Slushies next year but we'll see what next year brings.

We also have the most amazing Bosc and Flemish Beauty pears.  I've always been a fan of the Bosc pear but this is my first time for trying the Flemish Beauties and I'm very impressed.  They are sweet and juicy when ripe, their skin is firm.  Definitely distinct from the Bartlett.  I would say sweeter and juicier, and I haven't found that browning in the center that occurs with Bartlett.  Check them out.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  Time to order your turkey.

It is Starting to Look Like Fall

You just have to love the colours of fall.  The vibrant reds, yellows and especially orange.  Our pumpkins are looking great this year, there are lots in the field and some are on display.

Our fall mums have just arrived turning our courtyard area into an explosion of colour.  Just what we need on a rainy day.

We'll soon have cornstalks, straw bales, pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn available for sale to help your place look great for the fall season.  The mums are a good start.

THANKSGIVING IS JUST  A MONTH AWAY - IT'S TURKEY TIME!
It's early this year so start your planning now.  Our turkeys are thriving and will be fresh, dressed and ready for Thanksgiving dinner, you just need to invite them.  Our turkey order book is ready and waiting.  We need a 4 pound weight range along with a preferred weight so we can match one of our turkeys to your needs.  The usual guideline is 1 to 1 1/2 lbs/ person depending on age, appetite and how many left overs you want.

Fall is Fun on the Farm - Be a Part of It

It will soon be pumpkin time.
We are currently accepting applications for our farm market and Harvest Festival Fun.  Do you enjoy working with the public?  Enjoy the outdoors?  Enthusiastic?  Willing to learn new skills?  Can commit to working every weekend until Oct 31st?

We need people with good communication skills, who are flexible and willing to do a variety of jobs.  Openings available for tractor driving, bakery, cashier, grounds care, puppetry....

Join a great group of people who are working hard helping our customers make memories and create traditions.  We're bringing people back to their rural roots and presenting the fun side of farming.

An application form is available on our employment page.  Please complete and submit in person to our Markham farm market.

Work While your Kids are in School

Fall harvest season is quickly approaching and we're getting ready for our school tours.  Do you love working with kids?  Enjoy the outdoors?  Combine these two activities during our Pumpkin tour season.  Work with a group of enthusiastic and creative people.

We are currently accepting applications for instructors to work with preschool to grade 3 students in our school tour program. Farm experience is an asset but not essential. Previous experience working with children and/or in school volunteer experience is required.

An application form can be found on our employment page.  Please complete and include a reference from a supervising teacher of your volunteer experience.  Submit application in person at our farm market.

Open Labour Day Monday

We're open Labour Day Monday with lots of fun and great food.  Our 2 acre corn maze is now open and our Enchanted Forest has reopened for the fall season.  There really is a solution to our No Left Turn maze.
Gala apples are sweet, crunchy and a great size for school lunches.  The Nantes carrots are sweet and kids love them.  So much great food at this time of year.

Come on out and enjoy the day.
It is sunny and beautiful.

Gala Apples are here

Jim was out today to Port Burwell to pick up the Gala apples, a nice sweet, red apple.  The mac's are still green and need a week or two to colour up.  The Ginger Gold are finished for the season so to all who enjoyed them, you'll have a year of anticipating their return.

Our tomato harvest is in full swing.  Now is the time to can as supply is very good.  We have round field tomatoes and romas available.

Labour Day weekend is here.
The Enchanted Forest is reopening and our 2 acre corn maze is opening for the season.  Get lost in the corn and use your fingers to find your fortune.
Come out and enjoy a visit.
We are open Labour Day Monday 9 -6

Tomato Harvest Begins

We have started to pick our own tomatoes for the market.  It is easy to see that this summer is not like the last.  Between the heat, weeds, insects and hail the crop isn't as beautiful as last year.  They do however taste great!!!
Our tomatoes may not win the beauty contest this year (runner up possibly) but they sure win in flavour.

Give them a try.  After all beauty is only skin deep.

Heirloom tomatoes are beginning as well in a limited supply. Look for them near our cherry tomato display.

Bushels and 1/2 bushels of round and roma tomatoes should be in good supply soon.

Ontario Apples are Here

Some farmers in Ontario do have an apple crop. Jim is on his way today to pick up some Ginger Gold apples, a delicious, sweet and crunch early apple from a farm in Simcoe County that escaped the major freeze in April that affected much of the apple, cherry, plum and peach crops in Ontario, New York state, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

We had the pleasure of touring Watson Farms in Bowmanville yesterday along with fellow members of Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association for our annual social. Paul and his family told us of the sleepless nights in late April spent burning hay and straw in their orchards to ward off the freeze. It worked and they managed to save the majority of their apple crop. They have a beautiful orchard and the trees we saw were loaded with apples. We snacked on a Ginger Gold apple right off the tree, mmm.. tasty.

Many growers were not as fortunate in saving their crop. The prevailing mood among the members was not of defeat but in determination to make the best of a bad situation. They are channeling their creativity into how to tell their story and present an exciting outing to their farms this fall. Check with your favorite pick your own apple orchard and find out what they're doing.

Farmers are a resilient group; not all news about the weather is bad. The province is so variable in it's weather patterns that not all farms have been devastated by drought or the late frost. Our pumpkin crop is looking fantastic and we are getting ready for the fall season. Our school tour program is booking up and our Harvest Festival will be happening each weekend in October.
Crops we are harvesting right now - tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and spanish onions.

We'll be supporting Ontario apple growers by selling only Ontario apples, even though some varieties might be missing. We ask for you to support Ontario farmers; look for and buy Ontario apples. Get outside, visit a farm this fall. Check out www.ontariofarmfresh.com We'll all be happy to see you.

Celebrate Honey Monday August 6th

Our Spring Blossom Honey is now available. Come Monday August 6th, the Civic Holiday, to celebrate all the hard work the bees do to give us honey. Enjoy the farm and all our weekend activities. Learn more about bees and the honey making process with extra activities throughout the day. Best yet sample the different honeys we have to offer. This is the last weekend in August our Enchanted Forest is open. We use the time this month to freshen it up, getting it ready for the fall. So, enjoy a walk in our woods this weekend. The Enchanted Forest reopens Labour Day weekend. Wagon rides around the farm are still available. Check out our website for details.

SWEET CORN IS HERE!!!!!!!!

It is Awesome in name and flavour. Awesome is a gourmet sweet, peaches and cream corn that is a nice combination of sweetness and corn flavour. With proper refridgeration it should stay sweet for a few days. For optimal flavour it is still best to only get what you can eat that day. Currently the corn is from Tillsonburg (southwest Ontario) and as the season progresses in a couple of weeks it will be from our area. PEACHES should also be headlined. With the hot weather I am finding they are sweeeeeeter than usual. This is turning out to be a very sweet posting. I love this time of year for eating as there is a nice selection of berries (yes we still have a few raspberries, don't delay) and tree fruits such as peaches and plums, nectarines and apricots should be in soon. The potatoes are sweet, the carrots, FIELD TOMATOES HAVE STARTED,and they're sweet. The list goes on. Pick your own beans from the field here in Markham, looks like some peas may be ready in the field soon. OUR SPRING BLOSSOM HONEY IS ARRIVING TODAY. Eagerly anticipated and not to be missed the first harvest of the season from our bee hives is coming into the market today. Relish the season - There is an abundance of cucumbers and zucchinis from our fields right now and NOW is the time to make your relish. Don't wait till you feel like it because these crops are fickle and may not be available when you want them. ACT NOW and you'll be glad this winter as you enjoy the taste of the summer harvest in a jar. With the cooler weather here for a few days come on out to the farm. ENJOY THE SWEETNESS OF SUMMER AND THE FUN. Who knows how long before the next heat alert.

Summer is in full swing and its HOT

I know I don't have to tell you just how hot!!! What has it done to the crops? They're growing fast along with the weeds, are ready sooner than expected and ending faster than we want. Strawberry season was a success, we had berries up until Thursday - longer than most growers in the GTA. We'll be getting the field ready for next year as next years fruit buds form in August. We've been spending a lot of time keeping the weeds from overwhelming our crops with some hand pulling and trimming with the weed wacker. Cultivating the fields has become a full time job. Crops we are harvesting right now are- beets, zucchini, cucumbers and beans. You'll find Dan and Molly Wednesdays at the Whitby Farmers Market, and Saturdays at the Markham Farmers Market. James is at the Oshawa Centre Farmers Market on Fridays. Our Greenbank Farm market is open for the season Thursday to Sun from 9 till 5. This is the first year we have remained open after strawberry time. Come visit and see what we are up to. Weekday wagon rides are proving popular, they are available 11:30 till 1:00 at our Markham farm. We are looking forward to SWEET CORN. The early varieties are in but we just don't find them sweet enough. In our opinion anticipation is sweetly rewarded by waiting at least a week for the corn to be trully delicious. We will have peaches and cream sweet corn our markets by Friday July 20th.

We Still Have Strawberries

Even though this heat is shortening our season we still have strawberries for picking at our Greenbank farm, just 10 minutes east of Uxbridge. Don't delay as we're not sure when the picking will end. Right now it is still good although berries are smaller in size. Come in the mornings when it is cooler, the berries will keep better. We are open at 9:00am. Jim has been irrigating to give the plants some relief form the heat. Fresh picked berries are still available at both our farm locations. We're looking forward to more crops coming ready - We have been harvesting beets, peas and zucchini. Cucumbers are about to start. We hope to have early Ontario sweet corn in our markets soon.

Kids and strawberries

Is it hot enough for you. This heatwave can be stifling but it actually is cooler in the country. I was amazed yesterday at the temperature difference between our Markham and Greenbank farm. It felt at least 5 degrees cooler here in Greenbank with the nice breeze we had. This heat is ripening the berries fast so don't delay in getting yours. We're open at 8:30am in Greenbank till 7:30pm weekdays and 9:00 to 5:00 weekends for picking. Have your kids come meet our kids. Piper and Joy are week old twin goats that we have had to bottle feed. They love all the attention they can get. The pictures are from a recent night when they needed babysitting. Zena was very motherly and the kids being young look to all sources for food. You can visit them in Greenbank.

Fathers are special on the farm

A lot of attention is paid to moms and babies on the farm each spring but lets not forget about dads. We're celebrating dads on the farm this Fathers Day with free admission to our Markham farm'n fun for Dads of all ages when they bring their kids. So come on out to the farm Dad and have your kids meet our kids.

Strawberries are here

Farming can be a challenge and one of the main challenges is predicting when a crop will be ready for picking. Like the weather reports a week can make a big difference in what you predict and what happens the day of. This past weekend we had one variety of berries just starting to ripen and we were picking for the market in Markham. The other varieties looked like they would be ready in more than a week away. The heat way hits and THE STRAWBERRIES ARE RIPENING FAST!!!! Farmer Jim now thinks we will be opening here in Greenbank for pick your own and fresh picked strawberries Sunday June 17th - just in time for Fathers Day. Please call 905-985-6749 before coming for exact opening day and hours. FRESH PICKED STRAWBERRIES ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR MARKHAM FARM!! The crop in Greenbank is looking good and we have a good supply of our early berries at our Markham farm location. Peas are early this year and we are picking them for the market as well. We may have pick your own peas in Markham by this weekend. STRAWBERRY SEASON IS HERE. GET YOUR JAM JARS READY SO YOU DON'T MISS THE PEAK OF THE SEASON.

Open Victoria Day Monday

WOW!!!! What a weekend for weather. It seems summer is here. Jim is out in the fields here in Greenbank planting our tomatoes today. Our zucchinis, onions, garlic and cabbage are doing well. We've planted berry bushes this year - gooseberries, black currents, haskaps and chokeberries. Great for jam making in the years to come. We could use a bit of rain tonight, as I'm sure everyone gardening hopes for. Come for a visit It's been a relaxing weekend here in Markham with families enjoying the farm. All our spring babies are thriving and loving all the attention. Come and meet Timothy Peter, our newborn kid, just 5 days hold. He's capturing everyone's hearts as he greets them at the farm. Strawberries are here soon Time to think about clearing your freezers of last years fruit. Our berries are in blossom. This means it will be approx. 3 weeks till we can start harvesting. Berries from southwestern Ontario are starting to appear in the food terminal but currently they are everbearing varieties, we find them tart so we're waiting till the June bearing varieties are ready. Everything seems early this year. Sunday we had jam making demos; it is so easy and pectin supplies for jamming are in the stores now. Time to make room for this years crop. We're open today with lots of fun activities. Come on out and enjoy the great day ahead.

Opening for the season this Saturday

Wow how time flies. This winter went by very quickly with all the projects we were able to work on due to the mild weather. Our Greenbank Farm is transforming and will be open once strawberry season starts. Our Markham Farm opens for the season this Saturday School tours are already underway and the market has got it's spring cleaning. New product is now coming in and we're getting ready for the big day. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Our website has had some freshening up and you'll notice a new addition of our CSA being organized and run by Dan and Molly. Check out their page and video. It's been fun watching them get up and running. Family Membership Seasonal Pass We've had many requests for a season pass and this year we're giving it a try. Check out our home page for more info. Passes are available for sale in the market until June 30th. So come see our babies!!!! Baxter is one of them and I'm sure you'll meet him as he is very vocal. Bottle fed from birth he is thriving and loves to meet people. He has grown since these pictures were taken.

See you soon!!!

Spring is here and we're opening May 5th

Wow, how the winter months flew by. They've been busy ones here in Greenbank, the weather allowed us to do a lot of outdoor work. No complaints on the temperature either.

We're currently cleaning up for spring - the Markham farm and market will be opening Saturday May 5th. Stay tuned for some new developments.

It has been a busy winter for learning with numerous workshops attended on a wide variety of topics. I've just completed our second Environmental Farm Plan workshop where we analyze our farm and farming practices to see how they measure up to Best Management Practices. The workshop is based on helping us improve our impact on soil, air, water and biodiversity. It was good to see the progress we've made since we last completed one 5 years ago. The On Farm Food Safety workshop was along the same lines but geared toward best practices for food safety. Be on the look out for some new posters around the farm. I've got some interesting ones.

Jim was able to attend a behind the scenes tour of Busch Gardens, Virginia while attending the North American Direct Farm Marketing Association conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. Although Busch Gardens is a little out of our league, they're putting in a new roller coaster at the cost of $30 million, it was interesting to see how the big guys operate. We were also able to meet up with our fellow marketing friends from across the USA and Canada. Conferences are always energizing for us and this one was followed closely by our provincial conference in Niagara Falls. So, now we need to absorb it all and put what we learned into practice.

Hope to see you again this season. Let us know how we're doing, suggestions and comments are always welcome.