Friday, April 9, 2010

OPENING SATURDAY MAY 1st

Wow! has winter gone by fast. We're getting ready to open for the season so hopefully the warm weather will continue. Jim has already planted some peas, the earliest ever for him.

School tours are starting soon and we are busy booking now for the spring and summer.

It has been a busy winter for us. We've attended a number of workshops and conferences to sharpen our skills and make some changes on the farm. You'll see some new activities as the season progresses, ones we think you'll enjoy. April's weather will dictate their development and when they're completed.

We've made some Shepherds Pies using our own beef. They make for an easy, quick delicious meal. They'll be in our freezer section along with our other naturally raised meat.

Kids and Lambs
The sheep and goats have been busy this winter as well. We now have over a half dozen lambs and kids born and more are expected. They are full of energy and jumping around in their pens.

Spring is a time of renewal, a season we always enjoy.

See you soon!!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Spring is early on the Farm

New Arrivals
The birth of lambs is usually associated with spring but we've had some early arrivals. To date we have 2 sets of twins born. There are doing fine and have been accepted by the others in the flock.

Looking Forward to a new Season
We've just returned from a farm conference in Pennsylvania (WOW, did they get snow!) and got filled with new ideas and energy. You'll notice some changes this year, we'll be adding some new activities and refreshing some of our current ones.

We always look forward to a new season. See you May 1st.

Friday, November 27, 2009

CELEBRATE THE COMING OF CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS TREES ARE HERE
Our Fraser Fir and Balsam Fir trees have now arrived along with a small number of pine. With the summer so wet the trees are lush and green and smell great. We have sizes ranging from table top (urn) size to over 10 feet tall.
If you wish to put up a live tree early the Frasers have the best needle retention. Ensuring you have a fresh cut on the trunk before putting the tree in its stand and checking twice daily to water it is usually enough to keep the tree fresh. We've had really good feedback from customers on our Frasers.

WE'RE NOW OPEN DAILY TILL DECEMBER 24TH
Our farm and market is now open daily 9 till 5. We will be open 9 till 6 beginning Thursday December 3rd and have a few late evenings till 7:30 weeknights during the next couple of weeks. Please call 905-887-1087 for the exact evenings open next week.

FRESH CHRISTMAS TURKEYS
We're taking orders now, it's never too early. These turkeys are delicious and raised humanely - grain fed with no animal byproducts or hormones in their feed.

INDULGE YOUR SWEET TOOTH
We're baking pies throughout December - place an order if you are having a special function, we'll bake them fresh the day you want them. Christmas Eve is a busy baking day for us so place an order to ensure you get the pies you want.
Rebecca has baked more of her Christmas cookies and party trays will be ready beginning Dec. 3rd. These are great for office parties, hostess gifts or just to have on hand for when company comes calling.

Our animals in the Barnyard Adventure area have gone to their winter home. The animals in the barn are still here for you to visit. Admission to our fun area is free till we close on Dec. 24th.
Wagon rides, the Enchanted Forest and Barnyard Adventure activities will resume when we reopen for the season the first weekend in May.

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Monday, November 2, 2009

OPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 24TH

Hi everyone,
I hope you had a safe and fun Halloween. Thanks to all who visited the farm especially in spite of the weather.
November is a quieter time and it gives us a chance to catch our breath. We like to keep the fall look until late November but this year with all the grey weather in October you'll see some Christmas decorations earlier. The colours are so cheerful.

CHRISTMAS TREES
start arriving November 20th. We'll have mostly Fraser Fir trees this year as they have proven to be the most popular. They are the best tree to get early as they hold their needles well.

HONEYCRISP AND NORTHERN SPY APPLES
are in good supply in our market. Root crops keep well this time of year and are in abundance. Have you tried our Ontario sweet potatoes yet? They are amazing.

NOVEMBER 7TH AND 8TH WILL BE THE LAST WEEKEND OF THE SEASON FOR THE WAGON RIDES AND ENCHANTED FOREST
Weather predictions look good so far. Come on out and enjoy a nice walk in the woods. Our farm educator is also here to help you understand better where your food comes from.

CHRISTMAS TURKEYS
We are now taking orders for fresh, free range Christmas turkeys. Our Christmas baking and cookie trays will be available near the end of November.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS

IT'S PUMPKIN TIME
We've got pumpkins in the patch, pumpkins in the corral, pumpkins everywhere. Farmer Jim is pleased with his crop of pumpkins.
Our monster pumpkins are now here. You should see the size of them.
We've got little boo's for the tikes up to pumpkins weighing over 40 lbs. Start your weight training.

It's cold outside!!!!!
Don't let the weather change your plans. Dress warmly with layers and you should be fine. Wear hats and mittens plus winter boots to keep your feet warm. Some customers are bringing blankets for the wagon rides. Who knows - it might rain next week. At least this week they are calling for sun.

HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT THANKSGIVING

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

HONEY CRISP APPLES ARE HERE!!!!!!

The waiting is over. Honey crisp apples are now available in our market. Their juicy sweet/tart flavour makes them a popular choice. They're great for eating as well as baking.

More varieties of apples are available now as well, late but now here are Macintosh, Empire, Gala and Spartan. Cortland are proving hard to get but we'll keep trying.

THANKSGIVING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!
Don't delay in booking your free range, grain fed turkey for dinner. We're taking orders now. The week of October 5th we'll also have fresh herbs available. We'll try to have fresh Ontario cranberries, we haven't seen them in the market yet. I do have a limited supply of frozen cranberries.

HARVESTFEST WEEKENDS begin this weekend.
Come and enjoy lots of harvest fun. Check out our web page for all the details. Looks like a nice weekend coming up so come on out and enjoy the fresh air.

PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS, PUMPKINS
Our pumpkin crop is fantastic this year. There are thousands to choose from of all sizes.

The Colour of Fall
Nothing like this season for it's vibrant colours. Garden mums, gourds, pumpkins, straw bales, Indian corn and corn stalks are available to make your home look great.

SEE YOU AT THE FARM

Monday, September 14, 2009

Fall is Here on the Farm

The beginning of the school year signifies to us here on the farm that fall has arrived. The corn stalks are cut for displays, pumpkins are ripening and adding colour to our courtyard and the garden mums have arrived. It is such a colourful time of year.

Honey
Our Spring Blossom Honey (also known as Strawberry Blossom ) is selling out. David and Joyce, our beekeepers have prepared the hives to enable them to harvest our Wildflower honey. This should be available in our market by the end of September. Both honeys have awesome flavour and are unheated and unfiltered (raw).
David and Joyce take great care in minding the hives keeping the bees healthy and happy. You can see the bees at work at the north end of our Barnyard Adventure area. Careful that you stay out of the bees flight path, they are very busy getting ready for winter.

Apples
Ginger gold are coming to an end, Macintosh have arrived and there will be more varieties as the season progresses. The cool summer has delayed the apples by about one week.

Tomatoes
Bushels of ripe tomatoes are in very short supply this season due to the slowness of their ripening with the cool nights. Having 2 weeks of sunshine is helping but demand far outweighs supply and you will see this reflected in increased cost.

October Fall Festival
will be beginning the first weekend in October and continue each weekend until November 1st. We're busy getting the farm ready for lots of fall fun.

Come on out while the farm is quieter and enjoy the fine weather. The corn maze is open and challenging, our Enchanted Forest has reopened and Owen our lamb is looking forward to seeing you on his weekend walks with our farm educator.
There's an abundance of colour you can take home to make your home look fabulous for the fall.

Thanksgiving Turkeys
We are currently taking orders for fresh, free range, grain fed turkeys for Thanksgiving. Book yours now so you won't be disappointed. Thanksgiving will be here quicker than you think.