Summer - Where has it gone?

This summer may have been not have been the warmest but for us it has been the fastest.  I don't wish time away, each year it just seems to be speeding up.  Now we are at Labour Day weekend and planning for the fall season.  Our Harvest Festival will be happening each weekend in October.  Our pumpkin crop is looking great.

Our farm is open Saturday, Sunday and Labour Day Monday.

Our corn maze opens this weekend, a tradition that goes back over 20 years.  Come and get lost.  The corn is at least 10 feet tall.  Wagon rides to our Fairy Tale Lane and Forest Trail will be available Labour Day Monday from 11 till 4

The cool and occasionally(like almost every Tuesday) wet summer days have been comfortable to work in and have had good and not so good effects on our crops.  It benefited our strawberry crop, extending it into late July but has destroyed our tomato crop - blight has turned our tomato plants black.  This happens on the first year we were planning our first annual Celebrate Tomatoes weekend, September 6th and 7th.  We won't have pick your own this year but we will still have some tomatoes, thanks to the southwestern Ontario weather being more co-operative.  Look for some of our favorite recipes using them.

Come on out for a visit.  There is always lot's of fun on the farm.  We are open weekends in September - Saturdays 9-5, Sundays 10-6, and this Labour Day Monday 9-5.

Admission Saturday and Sunday $3.50/person 2 years plus, Labour Day Monday $5.50 + HST includes the wagon ride and trails.

Feels like Fall, there go the summer crops

Hot one day, cold the next and now frost warnings in cottage country.  Puts the pressure on to enjoy those last fruits and vegetables of summer before they are gone with the season.  Fall is officially just around the corner.

Tomatoes are one of those crops and our market is bursting with them at the moment.  A customer passed on an amazing recipe today that I will definitely try.  

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Heat oven to 300 degrees

1. cut the tomato in half, place cut side up on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
2. drizzle lightly with olive oil
3. add slice of garlic
4. optional - sprinkle with seasoning such as basil  
5. roast in oven for 3 hours  

Enjoy on its own or in salads.  Tomatos keep for a week in the fridge

Fall also means celebrating the harvest.  Time marches quickly and Thanksgiving will be here in the blink of an eye. Time to order your fresh, free range turkey.

Tomato Harvest is at its Peak

It's been a fantastic year for our tomatoes; for quality and flavour.  Our market is bursting with tomatoes and now is the time to catch the freshness and flavour the summer sun has given them.  
So get your canning jars ready.  Capture the taste of summer as we move on into the fall harvest season.  

Report just in from Farmer Jim - 
We have a dandy crop of pumpkins and October will be amazing this year.  He's been out in the field checking on them and is very pleased. 

Got to love the fall with all its colour.  We already have the beauty of the mums to enjoy and the leaves will be turning soon.  Our squash is adding even more colour to our courtyard.

Our fall school tour program is gearing up and Myrna is in the office to help you book your tour.

Ginger Gold Apples are Here

I love the start of apple season.  There are many early apples, my favorite is Ginger Gold; it is crunchy and sweet.  For all you tart apple lovers we have a small amount of Paula Red apples, they are just starting to be harvested.

Time flies and before you know it September will be here, Macintosh apples will have started and we'll be well into a multitude of apple varieties.  We are sourcing our apples from the same grower as last year.  John Hordyk is located in Port Burwell.  Jim developed a good relationship with him last year during the apple shortage.  Liking his quality he will support him once again this year.

John grows amazing pears as well and we will be sourcing our Flemish and Bosc pears from him.  Something to look forward to.

Tomatoes Have Begun
Depending on the day you can look out the back door of our market and see an expanse of tomatoes in bushels along with staff trying to wash, sort and basket them.  Our crop is looking fantastic so far and Jim is working hard at keeping it that way.  Check out the abundance we have of cherry tomatoes, round and even roma varieties.  We will soon be into canning season.

Sweet Peas
Who would have thought they'd be sweet and plentiful in August especially since they got fried in July.  These past two weeks of beautiful, cooler weather has allowed a late crop of peas to flourish and we're enjoying them immensely.  Get them before they are gone.  You can even pick your own.

Celebrate Honey
Another successful day on the farm.  Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about bees and honey in a fun and tasty way.  Mark your next years calendar for the civic holiday Monday Celebrate Honey on the farm day.   Here is Rebecca with the beekeeping equipment.

Summer and the Farm changes with the seasons

The seasonal changes can be seen in our market with the variety of fruits and vegetables available.  Variety is the spice of life.

Strawberries are in their last week but raspberries, cherries and blueberries are coming in. Peas are at their peak - sweet and sugar snap are bountiful right now.  Beans are just beginning as is sweet corn.

Soon the market will be jammed with an amazing selection of Ontario grown produce.  Foodland Ontario has a good chart to help guide you through the seasons of availability and we have it in our market.  Ask for one, they are a handy resource.

New in our market is SHELDON CREEK DAIRY milk and yogurt. Check out their website at www.sheldoncreekdairy.ca  We have two new dairy calves for you to visit, they arrived last week. Gingersnap is a red Holstein and Biscotti is a black and white holstein.  Seems we have a cookie theme going with our calves as they join Oreo as part of our farm family.

We're busy at Greenbank with the summer crops.  Tomatoes have been staked and tied (backbreaking but it got done) and we're trying to keep up with the weeds.  This weather is phenomenal.

Had enough rain yet?

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.

Apples, Apples, Apples

Fall is almost officially here, it sure feels like it. Each year it seems that our favorite apple is ready so late in the season but apple season is now upon us. We're now finished with the early apples - Paula Red, Ginger Gold and Jersey Mac. The fall apples have begun. Macintosh, Cortland and Royal Gala are available fresh picked in our market. Their crunch and flavour have been worth waiting for.
We'll soon have Honey Crisp, Empire, Mutsu and more - up to 10 varieties coming soon.

Thanksgiving Turkeys
Time flies and it seems faster in the fall when so much is happening. Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away and will be here in the blink of an eye. Order your free range, grain fed turkey soon. We've got our order book ready in the market.

Fall is Fun on the Farm
The cool weather comes and everyone is out visiting the farm. You'll find some new additions this fall. Our tricycle track now has adult size trikes for Moms, Dads, Grandparents ... to join the kids riding around the track. They really do make you feel like a kid again.
We also have some kid size pedal karts for up to 7 year olds so they can join in the races around the speedway.
Our straw maze is being revised and will be ready soon, more challenging than ever. Come and join us for some fall fun. Our corn maze is back and is a fun challenge for all ages.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes and more Tomatoes
Seems there is a theme of bounty from the land. Our tomato crop has been fantastic this year and now is the time to enjoy them as well as preserve some for winter. The peak of the crop is here. The quality is fantastic and the flavour amazing - don't delay, who knows when frost will come and put the field to rest.

Join our fall farm team
We still have some positions open for outgoing, energetic people who would like to join us in presenting our farm to the public. If you enjoy working with the public and are looking for short term work then go to our employment page and come in for a visit. We'd love to talk to you. Please bring 2 references with you.

Markham Fair
Is right around the corner, literally. Always the weekend before Thanksgiving this 4 day fair is one of the biggest in Ontario and through the efforts of many volunteers from the community is a fair to be proud of. This will be our 22nd year(at least) of having a booth at the fair. Come visit us, we're at the east gate.

August and Apples - Great Combo

We've got the first of the crop of apples now available in our market. Jersey mac and Ginger Gold, so you have a choice - tart or sweet.
If you haven't tried the Ginger Gold apple yet I would highly recommend them for their flavour is exceptional for an early apple. I like them for I do like a sweet apple. It seems just as we convince people to try them their season is done and we move on to other varieties. Get in early so you can enjoy.
Remember that early apples don't stay crisp as long as the later varieties and do require refridgeration.

TOMATOES - What a crop we are anticipating!
I haven't seen such a beautiful crop of tomatoes ever. You may have seen some pictures if you follow us on facebook and twitter. We have started to harvest a limited amount but as it is in every year they never seem to ripen early enough. We should have a great supply in our market in about a week. We may even do pick your own here in Greenbank but it will be by appointment only if we do. Let us know if you are interested by dropping by the market or calling 905-985-6749 and leave a message.