More information about the U-Pick and Corn Maze at Noggins

Yesterday I helped out in the Farm Market in Greenwich all day.  Near the end of the day, I took a walk up to the corn maze area on the quest to educate myself a bit more about what Noggins does.  Lots of customers have been asking questions about U-Pick and the Corn Maze at the markets, and so I wanted to have some information to share, rather than just directing everyone to call the farm.

Debbie was manning the booth when I arrived.  It was cold and windy on the hill, but as yesterday seemed to be an off day for school in Halifax, she had had a busy day helping guide people to the maze and the million other things there are to do at Noggins.  In addition to the 8-acre Corn Maze, there is a tire structure, spider web, picnic tables, U-pick area, and tons of gorgeous farm sights and sounds.  Near Halloween they open the Haunted House.  I was actually blown away by all there is to see and do.  Above is a photo of Debbie, with some giant gourds that I thought were the coolest thing ever!
 Debbie says she planted every seed in the flower U-pick.  We went for a walk and I saw tons of sunflowers of all shades and sizes.  She says they were planted July 27th so that they would be ready now.  There are regulars who come every week and get a bouquet, and I can see why-- There is a huge range of flowers in the garden, from carnations to lisianthus to amaranth and sunflowers, and of course more things that I couldn't identify!  This is a neat part of the farm that I just learned about yesterday.

 Debbie particularly likes the dark and multi-hued sunflowers.  She exclaimed over a number of them!

2014 Corn Maze at Noggins

Noggins is well-known for their Corn Maze.  I collected some info and a map from Debbie, and listened in while she briefed a family getting ready to enter the maze.  In the maze there are 9 stations, and so there are some objectives to achieve in order to "finish" the maze-- There are folks who come and do it every year and collect the postcards as a trophy.  Last Friday a couple did it in 20 minutes, but generally it takes about an hour to an hour and a half.  There is also a mini-maze for young children, which takes only about half an hour.  Debbie took me into the mini maze so I could get a feel for the corn maze, and it is very disconcerting-- the corn is very tall, and once you're inside it's like entering a different world altogether.  I asked if anyone had ever gotten really lost and Debbie pointed out that you can hear the traffic on the highway if you stop and listen.  I plan to sweet-talk Jon into trying the maze with me sometime this fall, as I never fulfilled that in my childhood-- though I always wanted to!
There is tons more information about the Corn Maze available on the Noggins website, and Adrien recommends visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page if you have any questions.

Juice-- before it is juice

Apple U-Pick: Have gotten lots of questions about that as well.  The Apple U-Pick is open Wednesdays from 1 - 5, and on Saturday and Sunday.  More info about that here: http://nogginsfarm.ca/pick-your-own.php

 I saw Andrew L. emptying bins of apples into a big trailer, and couldn't help but find the piles of apples beautiful.  I asked if I could climb up and take a photo, and so he did one better and lifted me up in a bin on the tractor so I could get the shot.  It looks a bit like a bowl of ingredients-- a couple bins of these, a few bins of those, all ending up as the delicious sweet cider that Noggins is known for! 

Thanks for the lift!

It was great to learn more about the agritourism on Noggins Farm, as I have found the customers at Hammonds Plains, QEII, and Seaport Markets all very interested in coming to the farm to engage with the place their food comes from.  Hope you find a way to come have fun at the farm this fall, whether it's visiting the U-Picks, the Corn Maze, or the Farm Market in Greenwich.  I am now better equipped to answer some of your questions, too!  :)

Quest for a 1-lb Honeycrisp!

I must admit, I am annoyed by the Honeycrisp apple and it's popularity.  Until it is available, I feel stuck on repeat: "No, the Honeycrisp are not ready yet".  Then, once they are, all the other apples must feel jealous, as it seems to be everyone's favourite.

The next day we found a 0.91 apple...  The quest for the largest Honeycrisp that we have at market (I realize I could "cheat" and look in the warehouse for a REALLY big one)

By no scientific measure at all, I would say 8/10 people say it is their favourite when I am helping them select an apple.  But what about the Cox Orange, and Gravenstein, and Zestar, and Ribson, and Paula Red??-- all excellent apples in their own right, too.  I am particularly excited when someone (most typically with a British accent) exclaims over finding a Cox Orange, or when I can recommend a Zestar which Chantal and I have found to be excellent, or when someone comes looking specifically for a Gravenstein to make an excellent pie, or even better yet: when someone tells me the qualities that they value in a "good apple" and is willing to chat about different apples and try some samples so I can introduce them to something they've never tried before.  It's a bit like selecting a fine wine-- everyone's palate and purpose is different.  Noggins grows over 40 different varieties of apples, and so it would seem that there is a perfect apple for nearly every person...  So, I won't fault you for loving Honeycrisp, but I encourage everyone to broaden their horizons and try something new while all the apples are coming off the trees this fall!

Hammonds Plains Market is still at the temporary location at the Cornerstone Wesleyan building at 1215 Hammonds Plains Road-- We will let everyone know once we are able to move back to St. John's in November.  Here's a photo from last week's market-- We have a full selection of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions, potatoes, 6 varieties of apples, peaches, plums, blueberries, raspberries, corn, brussels sprouts, squash, leeks, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, salad mix, etc etc etc.  September is the most abundant time of year, so come by and stock up this Thursday between 2:30 - 6:30!

The Pumpkin Patch

8 am

After

Worked on a pumpkin display in the winter market at Noggins Greenwich today.  This room will be ready for folks to come and pick their perfect pumpkin by the weekend, and there are an assortment of pumpkins to choose from- big ones, small ones, pie pumpkins, white ones, flat ones, tiny ones, etc, etc. 

Freggie and Open Farm Day

 

Yesterday was Open Farm Day across the maritimes, and Jon and I were at TapRoot Farms most of the day helping out.  Jon was at the farm stand, giving out maps and answering questions, and I made an appearance as Freggie.  Here's Freggie with Emma, Mary, and baby Kate-- Carolyn from Noggins' daughter's.  Mary wasn't quite sure about the whole photo thing until she heard Teri's voice coming out of the watermelon smile!  

September 22 - Peaches and Apples Galore!

 We had another week of excellent farm market weather, though the wind at QEII was a bit of a hurdle and caused us to ditch our wall for the sake of our tent not turning into a kite and blowing away!  We changed the layout of the stall so that customers shop around the outside and we can restock and sell from the inside-- Good until a rainy day, when we'll want a space for our customers to shelter from the rain.  Fingers crossed we make it through a few more Fridays not having to worry about that!
 The apples have been great so far this year.  We currently have Gravenstein, Sunrise, Ginger Gold, Paula Red, Zestar, Ribson, and McIntosh.  This weekend we also had some organic Honeycrisp, which are stunning and worth every penny at $3.50/lb.   The organic apples ripen a week ahead of non-organic, says farmer Ted Hutten via Andrew.  I tried a Ribson on Saturday and it was close to a Cox's Orange Pippen, which I love for their complex, straightforward tartness.  Sunrise are a crowd favourite, sweet and juicy-crunchy, closest to a honeycrisp.  Gravenstein are mouthwatering with great texture and tartness, and loved by Nova Scotians-- This apple is not one I was very familiar with prior to living here.  I snagged a Ginger Gold on my way to check out the peaches in storage the other night and was pleasantly surprised with it's sweetness and crunch-- Yellow apples never seem to be the first to appeal to me when I am looking for a snack, but this one is worth a try!  Chantal tried all the apples at market the other day and picked Zestar as her favourite-- She said it was sweet and had a nice texture.  Some recent research tells me that it doesn't brown when cut and so this apple is also a great choice for salads, and holds it's shape when cooked (unlike the Gravenstein, which is touted the best apple for pies, which depends if you like your pie chunky or melty-apple style, with Gravenstein delivering the latter).  Paula Red, which I always identify by their rich blush of lipstick-red, are an early ripening version of the classic McIntosh-- which Mac lovers tell me have a tartness, that I can't seem to get due to not liking the texture of Macs.  They have a softer, less dense texture than other apples-- and Mac lovers are dedicated, die hard Mac lovers, so it's good that there's an apple for everyone's taste!
 This week we start picking some of the later apples, like Jonagold and ever-sought-after Honeycrisp, and so those will hit the Seaport market this Saturday and hopefully Hammonds Plains Farmer's Market (Thursdays, temporarily at 1215 Hammonds Plains Road 2:30 - 6:30 PM) and the QEII Market (Fridays from 10 - 2 in the VG courtyard) later this week.

 This past weekend at Seaport John sampled our wonderful peaches and we offered a special deal on the 3L baskets ($4.00).  I'm still amazed at the number of customers who ask where the peaches are from.  Just like everything in our bountiful stall, they are from Nova Scotia!  Peaches have been phenomenal this year, and the other night after market Andrew showed me how many we have in storage-- Four coolers, some stacked to the top with these fuzzy treats, just waiting for a good home in someone's crisp, pie, bbq, or belly!

Our new spot at the Hammonds Plains market is a great temporary home, and the folks at the church have been welcoming and accommodating for us.  Since we inevitably create some fruit and veggie debris, we are set up in the small tiled area in the front of the building.  It works great for us and we hope that our customers will continue to find our "musical chair market" as we relocate here until the construction is done at our regular spot on Kearney Lake Road.  It's unfortunate that we have had to move the market yet again due to the construction, however our loyal customers in the community have been very supportive and seem willing to follow us wherever we need to go to make things work.  For now, we're at the Wesleyan Cornerstone Church on Hammonds Plains Road/Gatehouse Run, and it's working great for us.

Seaport Market Sept. 16th

I had the best commute ever yesterday-- Hitched a ride with Ian from the warehouse in Greenwich at 7 am to his store in Alderney Landing in Dartmouth, then took the 9 am ferry over to Halifax and walked the 10 minute boardwalk journey to the Seaport Market.  Here's the two cruise ships that were parked outside the pier, dwarfing the buildings like the giant sea hotels that they are! Full of Americans and Brits, who were happy to see the gorgeous fruit and take some maple syrup home as gifts.

This is Bill from Pennsylvania.  He bought a pint of raspberries and ate the whole thing, then came back to tell me that it would be the memory he holds from Nova Scotia-- The best raspberries he'd ever had!  Glad to be a part of that memory!

And finally, a nice shot of the farm market in Greenwich, just at sunset the other day.  It looked so inviting I had to snap a shot!