Noggins Corner Farm

2011-07-29T13:40:00.002-03:00

Corn season is upon us. I have had two corn boiling sessions to date. Corn on the cob is by far the best meal EVER. It takes ten minutes (not including time to husk) and taste delicious.

Canada Day

2011-07-01T11:49:00.001-03:00

The Farm is buzzing today. Everyone is coming into the Market to get they're fresh food for the long weekend. Today my job was to try out different rhubarb and strawberry dessert recipes to decide which ones I like (best job ever). I also snuck into the winter market and found that some barn swallows had built a nest in there. I managed to get a picture, they didn't seem to like that though and they started swooping. Hopefully, I didn't leave them too upset.

Grandparents Anniversary

2011-06-24T09:47:00.002-03:00

My grandparents Sandy and Avard celebrated their 60th anniversary yesterday. Avard and Sandy took on ownership of Noggins in 1955 and since then have passed it down to their eldest son Andrew. They continued the legacy of family farming and continue to teach and encourage their family. Thank you and congratulations.

The Other Day on the Farm

2011-06-15T17:24:00.002-03:00

Somebody found a little fawn. The baby came to visit but only for a little while before it had to be taken someplace safe. I managed to get a picture taken with the babe.

Raining today on the farm

2011-06-15T13:06:00.001-03:00

We've had three days of rain. I think that is enough!

Think of Agriculture this Holiday Season

2010-12-23T09:50:00.001-04:00

Think of Agriculture this Holiday Season
Thank you for your support of our local agriculture this year. All of the members of our farm team are thankful for the opportunity to share the gifts of the farm with you.

Have a wonderful holiday with those you love.

Eat well!

Much love, happiness and health,

Patricia

Taproot Farms Team:

Patricia, Josh, Izaak, Lily, Frank, Justine, Tim, Jeff, Jem and Malcolm

Noggins Corner Farm Team:
Carolyn, Bill, Melissa, Ian, Andrew, Beth, Jillian, Dwaine, Debbie, Erlene, Greg, Cathy and many more...

A pic of the share - week 6

2010-08-09T12:04:00.002-03:00

2010-08-09T12:04:00.001-03:00

Week 9 of the Noggins CSA

This weeks share will consist of:

1 qt Quinte Apples
1 qt Shiro Plums
1 qt Early Golden Plums
1 3L Peaches
1 pint sweet Cherries
1 bunch rhubarb

The Shiro plums may need to sit out on the counter to soften up a bit. The peaches are coming on heavy now. If you would like to order extras for canning here is a list of what is available now. You can email me to place an order if you like.

3L Basket of peaches - 5.50, 1/4 bu Peaches - $12.00, 1/4 bu plums $10.00

Around the farm everyone is harvesting plums and peaches. We are also working to get all of the apples thinned. We do this so that the apples that remain on the trees will be a good size.

Our corn maze and agritourism area is open for the season. You may wish to check it out on the webpage.

On Sunday, the 15th of August we are hosting the Incredible Picnic. Come on out with your family for a great time!!!

Recipe:
Fruit Custard Pie - Simpy in Season pag. 163 (this is a wonderful cookbook!!!)
9-inch unbaked pastry shell
2 cups apricots, plums, cherries or berries
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to the sweetness of the fruit)
Arrange fruit in pastry shell. Sprinkle with sugar.

2 eggs beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together until well combined. Pour over fruit. Bake in preheated oven at 450F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking until custard is set, about 25 minutes.

Raspberry Pictures

2010-07-19T12:47:00.000-03:00

Week 6

2010-07-19T12:44:00.000-03:00

This weeks share will consist of:
1- 2L Sweet Apple Cider
1- Bag of Jonagold Apples
2- pints Raspberries
1- pint sweet cherries
1-12 oz bag of frozen cranberry
If you are not getting your e newsletter each Monday please email me so we can be sure you are in the loop. I know I have missed some of you. So sorry!!! pbishop@nogginsfarm.ca

This week is raspberry week. My father, Andrew came in to visit yesterday and told me that the raspberries are on strong this week. Some years there is a nice steady pace of ripening. The weather provides the conditions for a more drawn out season, but this year it is boom – raspberry season.

It is also the time to enjoy the sweet cherries. With the amount of rain we had last week quite a few cherries split. The trees take up water via their roots and cause the cherries to be nice and plump. If there is too much water during the ripening, then the cherries split. They are still very good even if they do split – i just ignore how they look and eat them. If you get a crack or two, don't be afraid to eat it up just like the rest. It would be great if we could start to relearn the idea of a perfect piece of fruit. It doesn't need to look perfect it needs to taste great.

I have always wanted to make Brandied Fruit. I don't like Brandy, but the idea of a brandied fruit dessert sounds so good. Or giving away, as a gift, a nice jar of brandied fruit seems like it would be different and fun. All you need to do is continue to add fresh fruit to a mason jar with brandy in it. Just an idea I've had and wanted to pass it on.

Raspberry Sauce – Taken from this link:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/raspberry-sauce-4/Detail.aspx

Ingredients
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup cold water
Directions
1.Combine the raspberries, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the desired consistency is reached. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
3.Puree the sauce in a blender or with a hand held immersion blender and strain it through a fine sieve. Serve warm or cold. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Have a great week!

Week 5 CSA Fruit Box

2010-07-12T15:01:00.000-03:00

Week 5 CSA Fruit Box
July 12 - 15th

This weeks share consists of:
1 bag Crispin apples
2 pints raspberries
2 quarts strawberries

The season of berries is upon us. The strawberries have gone so quickly. These are the final days of strawberries until we get the fall bearing varieties in the late summer and fall.
Sweet Cherries are just beginning. They will be plentiful next week. The rain, although wonderful for most crops, is touch and go with cherries. The water provides a good sized cherry, but too much will lead to cracked cherries. It is really hard to control the amount of rain fall. Where cherry production is done with a tunnel over head, there is the ability to control the amount of water the trees take up, and so we are able to size up the cherries without splitting them. Without the cover, it is up to nature, what kind of cherry season it will be.
For those who have not been getting this enewsletter, but have now been added to the list, the apples for the past two weeks have been Jonagold. They have held up really well in storage. This week you are getting Crispin. Both of these apples are great for fresh eating and also for cooking.
If you are getting overwhelmed with berries you can easily freeze them. If you don't have time to deal with them you can just rinse them and pop them into the freezer in a ziploc bag or container. If you want frozen berries that will not be stuck together, just lay them out on baking sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen then you can put them into bags to dip into them all winter.
Smoothies and jam or sauces are also great ways to use up berries. Raspberry Strawberry Jam sound lovely!. ORRRR, like I have just discovered, dehydrated berries are a great snack. Our kids love them. We didn't add any sugar, and they devoured them.

Farm day picnic

2010-07-01T12:17:00.001-03:00

First week

2010-06-16T13:59:00.001-03:00

Here is Erlene in the packing house grading out Golden Delicious

And here are the fruit boxes packed out and ready to go for today.

Have a great day!

Week one of Noggins Fruit CSA

2010-06-15T09:18:00.002-03:00

Welcome to the first of the Noggins Fruit CSA Shares. We are excited to enter on this journey with you.

The apples this week are Crispins. They were harvested last year and have been in storage since they were picked in October 2009. On the farm we have storage rooms that take the oxygen out of the room so that the apples slow down their respiration rate and do not break down as fast. This mean we are able to keep apples throughout the winter and into the spring and summer to keep local apples available year round. Some varieties do better than other in long term storage. Researchers, farmers and other in the apple industry spend a lot of energy on learning how to improve storage of crops so we can keep the customer happy with crispy, juicy apples.

We have 400 Crispin trees on the farm. They are a Japanese variety, and the original name was Mutsu. They changed the name to Crispin to be more appealing from a marketing perspective. These apples are best for fresh eating but you can bake with them too.

Activities on the farm:

Beth is busy with school tours in the agritourism area.

Thinning Peaches - all the focus is into thinning peaches right now to ensure we have good size fruit for harvest.

Orchards - looking great. They are 9-10 days ahead of schedule. The great rain fall was welcomed by the trees as the orchards were very dry.

Cherries – the pits are beginning to harden meaning we will begin to harvest in about 3 weeks time. Yippy!

Raspberries - in the tunnels they look great and should be ready to harvest in 2 weeks. Outside the tunnels the raspberries are in bloom.

Recipes:

The cranberries can be used as a cranberry sauce for chicken or turkey, but also you could make cranberry coffee cake, cranberry salad, oat bran cranberry pancakes, just to suggest a few ideas. I will add some of these recipes to the Noggins blog.

Roasted Rhubarb

4 cups chopped rhubarb

½ cup sugar

¼ cup orange or lemon juice

2 tbsp candied ginger or fresh ginger root (minced)

1 tsp orange or lemon peel (grated)

Combine in a baking pan. Spread evenly and bake in preheated over at 450F until rhubarb is soft but retains its shape, about 25 minutes. Stir, cool slightly, and serve with ice cream or yogurt.

Serves 4

This recipe is taken from Simply in Season cookbook, page 74. It is a great cookbook and we have copies available for sale at the farm market.

Oat Bran Cranberry Pancakes – page 187 Simply in Season

¾ cup oat bran

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

Stir together in a large bowl

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 tbsp oil

2 tsp honey (slightly warmed)

Combing separately. Mix into dry ingredients.

½ cup cranberries (chopped)

½ cup apple (chopped)

Fold in. Fry in a medium-hot, greased frypan. Serve with cranberry syrup (optional)

Cranberry Syrup: boil together 1 cup cranberry juice, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp cornstartch and a pinch of ground ginger.

Update on orchards

2010-05-04T08:33:00.002-03:00

The peaches are in pink on late varieties and are in full bloom on the early variety,  Harrow Diamond. It is a great time for a photo opt. The Early Goldens and Shiros [both yellow early plums]are out in full bloom today and the pears are almost ready to pop.
Some gravenstiens are starting to show pink and the buds are separating on
the other varieties. We spent some time today putting out a little fertilizer
around some apple trees. We are pruning in earnest. The season is about
three weeks ahead of normal.

Peach Blossoms

2010-04-30T14:18:00.002-03:00

The peaches will be blossoming this weekend. If you have the time to take a drive this weekend you will see the plums and peaches are blossoming as well as the blueberries. They are so beautiful!

Thanksgiving

2009-10-12T13:56:00.003-03:00

We are so excited about this beautiful Thanksgiving weekend. The farm has been very busy with smiling faces as people enjoy the this fall holiday. Thanks for stopping by. Carolyn took this picture of the market this morning just before the Holiday Monday rush started.

We hope you've had a great weekend.

Wet Weather Closure

2009-08-23T10:36:00.004-03:00

Due to wet weather conditions our Corn Maze and Barnyard Adventure Area is closed today - Sunday, August 23rd. It appears that we will get the much needed rain and only moderate winds.We'll be open as usual on Monday.

Currently we are working on a new tile maze to add to our permanent maze collection. Drop in for a visit and check out the 2009 Triple Maze Adventure.

Corn Maze and Barnyard Adventure Area Open

2009-08-01T08:45:00.003-03:00

It's Saturday, August 1st, opening day for NCF's 2009 Corn Maze and Barnyard Adventure Area. Our hours are 10 am to 6 pm, last admission 5:30 pm. Our maze theme this year is Australia - an Outback Adventure. We have three distinct mazes: two large and one finger fortune mini maze (for our young corn mazers). Both large mazes provide an interesting look into the culture and history of the great Australian Outback. It rained last night but this morning it is beginning to clear and the weather forecast is for a sunny afternoon and a sunny day on Sunday. Our market is brimming with lots of fresh, local produce and freshly picked, plump, juicy raspberries. Come enjoy a day on the farm.

Three Weeks and Counting

2009-07-10T16:31:00.002-03:00

July is here and finally I am able to put away my warm woolies. Beginning to think that would never happen. So did the corn in the maze. Now with the sun and the heat it is growing like crazy - 6" a day. Last Tuesday we cut the maze. A bit nerve wracking but 5 hours later it was completed. Hopefully next week we will get up in the air to take some pictures. Stay tuned. Our corn maze theme this year is "An Australian Triple Maze Outback Adventure" Can you guess the maze design?

Beth

Garlic Scapes

2009-07-02T11:55:00.002-03:00

For those of you who wait each year for the fresh garlic scapes, now is the time to get them. This morning Josh brought 5 lbs of the yummy scapes into the market. There are many ways to use the scapes. Some love this garlic scape pesto.

Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
1 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes (about 10 scapes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, pine nuts or sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice , more if preferred
1/4 teaspoon salt, more if preferred
water, as needed

Place all ingredients into food processor and puree (smooth or coarse, as desired). Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning; add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Will keep, covered and refrigerated, for approximately one week.

Maze Update

2009-07-02T11:30:00.001-03:00

Five weeks and counting until the 2009 Corn Maze is open. Saturday, August 1st is the big day. Maze has been planted and the corn is growing like crazy - 12" in just 1 week. We're now ready to cut the maze. A bit of a nerve wracking job to say the least, we don't want to make a mistake. Our theme and design for this year comes from the great continent down under. We will have not just one maze but two. Can you guess our design this year?
On another note, the young eagles have grown rapidly and are up and about the nest furiously flapping their new wings. check out our Eagle Cam for the latest views.
On the crop side, strawberry season is in full swing and the raspberries are coming along nicely but it will be a couple of weeks yet before they are ready.

Agritourism Update

2009-05-21T22:54:00.003-03:00

The Spring 2009 School Adventure Tour Program is well underway. Shawn has done his school visits. We will be ready to welcome our first classes in early May.

The Bald Eagles are nesting. Our resident web cam genius- Randall Bishop is furiously working on the Eagle Cam. Stay Tuned.

Come experience a Geocaching Scavenger Hunt. We added this fun way to enjoy the great outdoors last year and are looking forward to 2009.

Our Corn Maze is still hibernating but that doesn't mean we're asleep. We've working hard on a brand new design and added attraction for the 2009 season. Check our website in June
for more info.

Happy Spring

2009-05-06T09:26:00.000-03:00

Today is a real spring feeling day. It is cool and wet. Luckily the past two weeks have been wonderful for prepping the land and planting. Like so many farmers, the last two weeks of April and into May have been very busy putting all the winter planning into action. With the "on the land" action comes the revive the blog action - so here we are our first entry for the 2009 season.

Gift Baskets and Samplers

2008-11-18T11:05:00.012-04:00

Presenting our Christmas Gift Baskets and Samplers, all wrapped and ready for your gift giving pleasure.

You can choose from 5 sampler options:
Taste of Honeycrisp
Taste of Yesteryear (Cox Orange, Russet, Cortland, MacIntosh, and Red Delicious)
Taste of Tradition (McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Red and Golden Delicious)
Taste of the Future (Gala, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Crispin and Spartan)
Taste of Your Own

We have 4 fantastic gift baskets to choose from:
Annapolis Valley Classic
Harvest of Flavour
Basket of Plenty
Celebrate Nova Scotia

If you would like to learn more about our gift baskets and samplers please download the order form or email bethp@eastlink.ca

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Hibernation Time

2008-11-18T11:01:00.004-04:00

The corn maze is currently resting up for summer 2009.

Our farm market remains open year round and the historic walking trail is lovely year round too.

In the spring the eagle cam will be available online - so please check back in the spring.

Corn Maze ~ hibernating of for the winter

2008-11-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

It is the time of year we slow things down in the Agritourism aspect of our farm. Our Historic Walking Trail is open year round for your enjoyment.

Our farm market remains open all year and can be found in the apple barn right beside the summer market. We have a wide selection of apples and veggies all winter long.

The Agritourism and Corn Maze will open again in the summer. But don't forget to keep checking back for the eagle cam this spring.

Thanks for all of the fantastic support!

School Tours Fall 2008

2008-08-26T16:02:00.003-03:00

Check out what we have to offer this fall on the farm with the School Tours Program.
http://www.nogginsfarm.ca/pdfs/2008FallBooklet.pdf

PESTO

2008-08-26T15:50:00.003-03:00

4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 packed cup fresh flat leaf basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup parmesan cheese

Place all ingredient except parmesan in a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency.
Add parmesan and serve.

I add pesto to almost anyting. It is great over noodles, in stirfrys and on pizza. Yum!

Fresh In the Market August 26

2008-08-26T15:45:00.002-03:00

Plums
Peaches
Apples
Corn
Zucchini
Tomatoes - 26 varieties
this is just the tip of the freshness........

Corn Maze is open!

U-Pick flowers are blooming

An Apple Celebration

2008-08-25T10:49:00.002-03:00

We're having an Apple Celebration!

Join us for a celebration of the apple, in all of its forms!

Sunday, October 12: Sweet cider, hard cider, heritage apples and more!

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Sample cider, apples, pears and other fruits

Cost: Complimentary

Noggins Corner Farm10009 Highway 1Wolfville (Greenwich), NS

Zucchini Garden Chowder

2008-08-11T15:13:00.002-03:00

2 tbsp butter
2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
1 tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
1/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups water
3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cups corn
2 cups chedder cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion, parsley, and basil. Saute until tender. Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock. Add and mix the bouillon cubes and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often for 2 minutes. Add tomotoes, evapoated milk and corn. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until corn is tender (approximately 5 minutes). Just before serving add shredded cheese and stil until melted. Add a pinch of sugar to taste and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 6-8

Fresh in the Market - August 7th

2008-08-07T08:55:00.002-03:00

We've started picking delicious plums and early Close apples.

Our market is full of yummy fresh treats from our farm.

Yellow and Bi Colour Corn
Sweet Cherries
Grape Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Plums
Apples (early varieties)
Zucchini
Cukes
and more.........

CORN MAZE: Fun and Adventure for the Whole Family!

2008-08-07T08:48:00.006-03:00

Explore the exotic world of China that was hidden for centuries behind the Great Wall. Discover the power and wealth of the emperors as they ruled from the mysterious Forbidden City. Travel through the 8.5 acre corn maze forming pictures of the Temple Pagoda, The Great Wall and The Dragon. If you escape the Dragon, discover over 20 stations within this incredible maze.

Try our new rope maze. It’s a race to the center. While it looks easy, the ship-shaped pattern of roped pathways provides a challenge for everyone striving to reach the lookout deck in the center.

Hours:
August: 12 – 6 pm

September: Monday thru Friday: 1 pm to 6 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays: 10 am to 6 pm
Last admission 5:30 pm

October: Monday thru Friday: 1 pm to 6 pm
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays: 10 am to 6 pm
Last admission 5:30 pm

Join us for Moonlight Maze every Friday and Saturday night from September 20th to November 1st, 7 to 10 pm, last admission 9 pm.

Admission:
Adults (12 & over) $8.00
Children (3 – 11) $6.00
Under 2: Free

Other attractions:
Farm Market featuring
o Locally grown fresh fruits & vegetables
Barnyard Adventures featuring
o Two Tunnel Slides
o Tire Mountain
o Tunnel Mountain
o Straw Bale Baby Dragon
o Corn Box and a Sand Box
Duck Races
Wagon Rides ( Saturday & Sunday – Noon to 5 pm)
Pick Your Own
o Flowers
o Herbs
o Apples (beginning September 13)
o Pumpkins
o Weird and Wonderful Squash

Historic Walking Trail
Geocaching (minimum 8 people) beginning August 23rd)
Campfires (reservations required)

Call us for group rates and Birthday Parties

For more information please check out our website at http://www.nogginsfarm.ca/ or call Beth at 902-679-7715 or email her at bethp@eastlink.ca.

OPENING

2008-07-29T15:13:00.001-03:00

The 2008 season of farm fun is starting. We are opening on August 15th.
We'll have details available soon.

In our community

2008-07-28T21:33:00.003-03:00

Check out these sites to learn more about agriculture and community in our area:

http://www.selectnovascotia.ca/
http://www.county.kings.ns.ca/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.pl
https://gov.ns.ca/agri/marketing/contact/PickofCropLowres.pdf
http://www.winesofnovascotia.ca/
http://www.slowfoodns.blogspot.com/
http://www.spiritnovascotia.ca/
http://www.nsapples.com/
http://www.hortns.com/
http://www.nsfa-fane.ca/

There is a lot to see and do in the Annapolis Valley....check out:
http://www.novaagri.com/between_the_bushes/index.htm
http://www.hennigars.com/
http://www.stirlingfruitfarms.ca/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=26
http://wolfvillefarmersmarket.com/

July 28 2008 ~ Fresh at the farm market

2008-07-28T21:24:00.005-03:00

On the farm this week we are harvesting a variety of delicious fruit and veggies.
We have fresh from our own farm this week: Raspberries, strawberries, sweet cherries, sour cherries, sweet corn, zucchini, patty pan squash, grape tomatoes, sno peas and sugar snap peas, purple beans, flat beans, swiss chard, butter ball lettuce, red lead lettuce, basil and other herbs, and beautiful flowers.

Summer's Here Strawberry Smoothie

2008-07-14T16:37:00.000-03:00

2 ice cubes

1 c. milk
1/3 c. cottage cheese
2/3 c. frozen strawberries
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour all of the ingredients into the blender. Put the lid on the blender and blend for 45 to 60 seconds until smooth. Pour your smoothie into a glass and enjoy. Serves: 1

We enjoy the recipes out of the Simply In Season cookbook. Check out their recipe of the week.