Pumpkin Season

It’s been an early year for just about everything this year, and that includes pumpkins! We have pumpkins galore! They come in different colors; classic orange, lumina white and Cinderella green! They come in different sizes too; whether they can fit in the palm of your hand to being a full arm load! The shapes are just as variable, flattened and winged gourds, graceful swans, big and round or long and tall! There are hundreds and hundreds of them, for decorating or for pies!
Here at the Farmer’s Pantry we like to put the experience in your hands! That’s why next year we will be introducing pumpkin pick your own! We’ll be taking a wagon ride through the orchard and to the pumpkin patch where you can pick out your favorite to bring back home with you!

Apple PickYour Own

The Farmer’s Pantry has now been around for 11 years. We’ve grown and expanded into all sorts of pick your own fruits and vegetables, and we are now doing many educational programs and activities. In the very beginning, it was all apples, and that’s still a huge part of what we are today. Our apple season is the busiest time of the year, but no one wants to just buy apples, they want to pick them! In September and October, we offer pick your own apples! Macs, Spartans, Empires, Spys, Cortland and Ida Red are the varieties we have throughout the pick your own season, meeting everyone’s needs for good eating and good cooking apples.
What makes picking apples at the Farmer’s Pantry such a great experience? How about getting to choose where you pick, or taste testing the different types of apple when you’re out there? Everyone’s favorite part is that you’re allowed to mix and match the different varieties we have to your heart’s content! What if one of those varieties isn’t available in the pick your own area? Well just leave room in your bag and we’ll top you up with any of the varieties we have in the store!
Just keep in mind that everything is about two to three weeks early this year, so if you’re planning to pick your own apples, you’ll want to do it before the Thanksgiving weekend!

Astronomy Night In The Orchard - Round Two!

It’s that time of summer again! Blake came to visit us from the Royal Astronomical Society of Toronto to fill our night with the wonder and mystique of the cosmos. Luck is on our side this year, as both nights Blake came were beautiful and clear! One of the highlights of the night was the International Space Station cruising by! This object appears like a stunningly bright point of light moving at a rapid pace across the sky, once every 90 minutes. (Just 90 minutes to travel around the entire earth!) We also saw a few other satellites roaming around, not quite as bright, but still really neat! Another awesome highlight was Jupiter. Although it was fairly low to the horizon, you could see a large disk along with Jupiter’s four biggest moons- the ones that Galileo saw with his ancient telescope 100s of years ago! Blake also had a little laser pointer which let us easily find different constellations and key objects like Polaris the north star. The grand finale was the gibbous moon, which is just stunning no matter how many times you stare at it!
Blake visits us twice every year in the summer, so keep an eye out on our website or give us a call to find out the dates so you can book your calendar. The stars are above us each and every night, but it’s only once in a while that we take a breather and stop to look at them and appreciate them in their full glory.

Pick Your Own Green and Wax Beans

We’ve grown different types of beans for years here at the Farmer’s Pantry, but this is the first time we’ve ever had them available to be picked by you! This spring we dug two small container gardens right on our front lawn. It’s close to the goat pen, but far enough away that Walnut and Cashew can’t reach to get a taste! (They’re pretty sad about that!) Container gardens built, we started planting away! We plant rows of beans several weeks apart so that they keep maturing throughout the season, keeping fresh beans here longer! When they’re planted has a lot to do with when they are ready to be picked, which usually lands anywhere from late July or throughout August. They’re ready now!
Come pick pints and quarts of either wax beans or green beans, and mix and match the two varieties together! The bushes are teeming with them!
…And speaking about pick your own, pick your own apple season is almost here! The Macintosh will be ready next week, then new varieties will join in as the month progresses!

4-H Cow Day!

How cool was cow day? We were a bit worried about how the weather was going to behave for us, but the rain never came to bog us down, so instead we got a nice overcast day that kept things good and cool.
Things got underway a little after lunch and kept rolling until about 4pm. We had Randy Woodhouse, a local dairy farmer joining us. He brought one of his Holsteins with him to talk with us about milking and dairy farming. We also had some 4-Hers over from Bar 5 farms with their show calves to demonstrate proper cattle showing techniques. They taught the kids how the cattle were raised and trained, and about proper showmanship. The kids also made rope halters to take home with them, and learned a little bit about making butter! They helped make butter by hand, then also had the chance to use a machine to churn up a fresh batch to try on crackers. It was pretty cool to watch the cream become butter!
In between everything else we had a very tasty BBQ with local beef hamburgers, corn and even a slice of fresh baked apple pie! Yummy! Keep an eye out for our BBQ at other big events we host here at the farm, like Family Day!
Last year we had 4-H sheep day, and this year we featured cattle. Next year we’ll be hosting the Year of the Chicken! Don’t miss it!

Canadian Reptiles

Saturday was a great hit! We had a huge gang come to join us and watch the presentation. The show itself lasted about an hour, then we stuck around to answer questions and give everyone as much hands on time with the snakes as they wanted. We also did a feeding demonstration with the snakes in the nature center, which the kids got a blast from. For fun, we also fed some crickets to the frogs, which was also pretty amusing!
The presentation itself was based on reptile surviving up in the cold chilly climate of Canada. We talked about how reptiles in Canada are have made different adaptations that reptiles from other parts of the world don’t have, about different defensive tactics different reptiles use, and even took a look at how different exotic reptiles can be from the ones we find here. Most of the presentation guests were snakes, but we were also lucky to have a turtle and a lizard make an appearance at the show!
If you missed out on this presentation, there’s a couple of ways to make up for it! First off you can come and visit many of the animals from the show any day of the week in our nature center! You can also join us for snake feedings on Saturday around 3pm and amphibian feedings Monday, Wednesday and Friday! We can also do private reptile or wildlife shows on a variety of themes if you have a group! Just give us a ring (519-599-3691) or send us an e-mail (info@farmerspantry.com) to inquire!

Farmer's Mini Golf Tournament

This past Saturday was the Farmer’s Pantry’s annual mini golf tournament! Last year was our first time hosting the tournament, testing out our work-in-progress course. This year our 10-hole mini golf course is completely finished, making the tournament even more awesome! Families came out throughout the day to take a shot at capturing the lowest score and getting their name engraved on the trophy!
Our mini golf consists of ten unique holes with farm obstacles! Watch out that your ball doesn’t get too close to the lambs, or Clifford the sheep dog might steal it on you! Sneak your ball through the corn field, beneath the pig sty, through the chicken coop and make sure you don’t hit the farmer in the Johnny –on-the-spot! The course brings you from hole to hole on a beautiful walk through the apple orchard and out into the raspberry patch. So in the right season you can snag a tasty farm treat as you play!
Kids and parents alike battled it out to the road of fame, and it turned out to be a double whammy! The winners were father and son, Andrew and Alex Mackenzie! Congratulations you guys! Look for your names on our tournament trophy the next time you come to visit us!
Mini Golf is open for public use every day of the week, 10-6, and can also be reserved for later times by giving us a call at (519)-599-3691! Just $5 a person, equipment included! Also makes a great addition to an action packed day at the Farmer’s Pantry for school groups, camps and clubs, and can be built right into your package!

Peaks Day Camp-From Farm to Plate

The Georgian Peaks day camp came to visit us for the day to learn about food! We talked about where food comes from and how it grows, starting at the farm and making it all the way to their dinner plate. The kids took a tractor wagon ride through the orchard to learn about how apples are grown, and even got to pick their own apple to munch on! The kids got to visit and play with the animals of our petting farm, learning the roles of each animal on the farm, and how they are raised. This was followed by a fun game of animal charades! Then it was on to the other group of munchies, plants! We learned about the seed cycle, and seed dispersal, and had a whole bunch of hands-on activities. Next we went on a tour through the nature center, and talked about the role of wildlife in farming. We also went on a big walk to look at the different vegetable gardens and look at the different stages the produce was in. In between all the different activities we played lots of fun games, and played mini golf and archery.
Camp days are always super busy, and the kids go home tired but with a lot of cool stories and experiences to share! Camps and other groups are part of our growing experience here at the Farmer’s Pantry, and outdoor education is a part that we’re looking to expand and grow, so keep an eye out for all the cool, new and exciting things we come up with to keep you guys having fun and learning lots throughout the summer and the rest of the year!

Compass and Orienteering

Saturday was our compass orienteering day! We use our orienteering course for day camps that come visit us, but we also like to have a day or two for the general public to come in and have some fun! We teach the fundamentals of what a compass is and how it works, then we do a couple of interactive exercises to get people on to using a compass properly and comfortably, and teach them situations where it might be helpful to use one. Next is the fun part! We take you on scavenger hunts through the orchard using your newly developed skills. Each step along the way is rewarded with a clue. Once all the clues are collected, we play another game using a different type of orienteering!
This Saturday started out beautiful and sunny, but then we got a bit worried when the sky got gray and it started to drizzle. Tough kids braved the weather and came out anyways, well prepared to get wet! We started out in our barn building and learned the fundamentals. The rain was nice and things dried up by the time we headed outside! The kids made the whole thing a ton of fun and I can’t wait to teach the course again!

Camp Cranberry-A Day at The Farmers Pantry

Friday was a day of bustle and activity as we had campers join us from Camp Cranberry! We kept them busy with an action packed afternoon.
We started the day with a tractor wagon ride around the orchard! Half way through we jumped off and went to pick one of our early varieties of apples! Next was our wildlife presentation, where we talked about animals that you can find here in Ontario! The kids got to interact with real live animals including snakes and toads and rats, and also got to feel cool things like feathers and antlers. The presentation was wrapped up by going on a tour through the nature center! Next the big kids travelled out to the range for an archery lesson and the younger ones played some mini golf. It’s crazy how fast the day can go, and the kids rushed into the store to buy drinks and treats to take with them for the bus ride home!
See you again next week Camp Cranberry!

At the Farmers Pantry we’re happy to organize half day and full day programs for camps, schools, clubs or other groups! We’ll cater to your interests using all that the Farmer’s Pantry has to offer! Give us a ring (519-599-3691) or an e-mail (info@farmerspantry.com) to see if we can work something out for you!

Wildlife Interactive Nature Center

Did you know that we have a nature center at the Farmer’s Pantry? It exhibits Ontario wildlife in many different mediums, including live animal exhibits, taxidermied specimens, and all sorts of treasures of nature including bones, feathers and more! You can try your luck at the Friends and Foes of the orchard game, the bone guessing game, or the antler guessing game! There’s tons of picture filled, illustrative information, and tons of neat things for you to touch and feel. If you decide to take a guided tour, you’ll get to learn extra cool facts from one of our friendly and informative hosts, and even have the chance to meet and interact with some of the real live animals in the nature center! Self-use tours are only $2.00 per person, and guided tours are $3.00 per person. If you wish to take a guided tour, please give us a call ahead of time to insure we have a host available to take you through! We ask for this small donation to help maintain the nature center, but also to upgrade it! Wildlife Interactive is my pet project and great pride, so I am constantly working to expand it to make it bigger and better every year! Entrance to the nature center is also free when you attend one of our Saturday Summer Programs! For some extra excitement, come to see the snakes eat on Saturdays at 3pm, or watch the amphibians eat every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

Raspberry UPick!

This has really been a weird season! The early heat and rain has had a large impact on our crops, mostly by making everything ahead of schedule. Strawberries are already long gone, but now the raspberries are in full swing! Raspberries usually aren’t ready until about halfway through July, but we’ve had them since the beginning of the month! Right now our 3000 raspberry canes are just loaded with berries! Our UPICK is open along with our store hours, every day from 10-6! Feel free to shoot us a call if you want to check availability, as the berries ripen in waves and if we get alot of pickers, sometimes the canes need a day or two to replenish! We are hoping that the season will last another two weeks, but we’ll keep you informed! Check our twitter for the most recent online updates, or give us a call at (519)-599-3691!
After our normal stock of raspberries are finished for the year, we still have our later varieties such as the kiwi (pictured above!), everbloom and black raspberries to look forward to in the store!

Astronomy Night

We’ve had Blake from the Royal Astronomical Conservatory of Toronto visit us five times now. The first four nights he came were torrential downpour, or cloudy. Still Blake entertained and informed us with his slideshow presentations. Last night through, was special! Last night the weather behaved and for the first time we got to experience the hands on tour through the sky with Blake’s telescope!
Everyone came over around 8:30 and headed over to our info center to listen to Blake’s presentation and wait for it to get dark. Then we headed out to his telescope with our red lights and star charts!
Some of the highlights were Venus, the second brightest object of the sky, you could see it phased just like the moon! It looked about three quarters full! We also got to see Saturn and its rings, along with Saturn’s brightest moon Titan! Talk about cool! We also checked out some pretty neat double stars, and a ring nebula! There was a half moon that night, and to see that up close was breath taking! You could see all the craters and fine details along the surface!
Blake will be joining us for a second time on August 28th at 8:30! Cross your fingers for another great night like this one! August is host to a pretty neat night time display, including the time of the year when Mars is at its closest point to earth! Even if the weather isn’t behaving you can still visit us, as Blake will show you some proper telescope techniques and other hands on activities! The Farmer’s Pantry is a great location for an Astronomy tour, because we are far away from light pollution, allowing you to experience more stars and more objects since our sky is so wonderfully dark! We hope to see you next time!