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Berry Goodness!

July 21, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Delta, Farms & Orchards

Summer time in BC is berry time and every year I plan to buy berries and make jam and every year I end up missing the boat. Well, not this year! This year we made a day of it and went to Westham Island in Ladner with some friends. We spent the morning at the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary where we fed the ducks and walked around the sanctuary on the dikes.  About half way around the walkway there's a viewing tower that gives you an amazing view of the wetlands and on a clear day you can see the North Shore mountains.  After the bird sanctuary, and once all our bird seed was gone, we drove back to Emma Lea Farms where we drank the best strawberry milkshake we've ever had and we bought strawberries (that taste like strawberries are supposed to taste like) and tayberries (a tasty cross between a raspberry and a blackberry).  We even managed to entertain our 2 year old boys long enough to pick a small crate of raspberries! It was a wonderful day of sunshine, ducks, berries, tractors, wagons and strawberry milkshakes! And, the best part ... now we have jam! Lots of jam! I can't wait to go back for more raspberries ... and blueberries ... and the blackberries!  Yum!

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Posted by maryann, at 02:32 PM

Veggies for Vegetarians

July 6, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Prince George, Farms & Orchards

 

This past weekend was a hot one in Prince George, and I was lucky enough to spend it with my dogs, Oliver and Annie, sun-tanning and enjoying the Forests for the World trails, a mere stone’s throw from my family’s house. The dogs love it because there’s a lake there (recently stocked with fish for those who enjoy the pastime).

On Saturday however, it was time to do something different! The first thing to think about in the morning of course is dinner for later that night, so I got the idea to check out the Farmer’s Market downtown near George Street and see what was up. I was delighted to find organic produce, and the locally grown vegetables are a vegetarian’s dream come true. Although we have a wonderful garden in the front yard which will be bearing its veritable delicacies sooner rather than later, that didn’t stop me from gathering vegetables, honey and of course bread (one can’t expect to peruse the goodies and not invest in some dill cheese loaf). Later, at my aunt’s house, we settled in and began our feast. The fresh carrots, soft white bread, sweet tomatoes and homemade pie was everything that defines summer eating. Farmer’s Markets are one of the great ways to get out and “window shop” locally.

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Posted by KristinNBCT, Fort St. John at 04:10 PM

Farming in Forestdale

May 27, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Burns Lake, Farms & Orchards

I have worked on a farm in Burns Lake since I was 10 years old. It is amazing the amount that you can learn from working in this industry. Farming can be a very tiring and physical job as the bales way at least 50 lbs and as a ten year old that seems pretty heavy! In Burns Lake our weather does not always cooperate with the haying season as it rains many days during the summer, but this rain allows us to have a day of fun. I remember on one rainy day we played poker and instead of money we created dares. This would be why my cousin is wearing the big pink hat. Although the job can be demanding, the vast amount of land that comes with the job and the fun we have makes up for it! This great amount of land that surrounds Burns Lake allowed me to learn how to drive on my own when I was 10 years old; of course I drove on my parents lap before that age. It is such a great place to grow up and I seriously recommend living here! 

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Posted by Erika , Burns Lake at 09:49 AM

Pine Meadow Farm

May 18, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Quesnel, Farms & Orchards

  At Pine Meadow Farm (also a B&B) outside of Quesnel, there is a wide array of farm animals, from horses to pigs to chickens to rabbits, but the feature animals are the lamas!  They are really neat animals and owner Wylie is so knowledgeable that we learned a huge amount about the animals, as well as the challenges and joys of running a farm that size.  We were able to feed all of the animals and had a great time interacting with them. Another unique attribute to the farm is her pet Dalmatian ‘Spring” who comes with an appropriate accessory, an old fashioned fire truck!!

 

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Posted by amber, at 01:20 PM

Moose Meadow's Merry Mammals

May 18, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Quesnel, Farms & Orchards

A great morning farm stop just outside of Quesnel is Moose Meadow Farm.  They have a wide array of animals including lamas, ducks, chickens, horses and even a dog that looks like a spirit bear!  The lamas are friendly and it was so neat to see them come running in from the fields when owner Heloise called them from the fence.  She showed us around the farm after giving us a tour and explanation of birch syrup production (the farms main product) and it was really neat to see all of the animals wandering around in the sun and interacting with one another without issue.  The farm is a lovely setting and the little gift shop that she has is a great place to stock up on souvenirs such as the birch syrup made on site, alpaca socks (from wool sheared from their alpacas), as well as other crafts and keepsakes made by local artisans.

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Posted by amber, at 01:08 PM

Birch Syrup

May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Quesnel, Farms & Orchards

 

When we arrived at Moose Meadow’s farm the friendly owner Heloise made us a hot cup of java and gave us a run down of her agritourism business that specialized in birch syrup, wreath making and much more. Next, she gave us a fabulous tour of her 65 acre farm. She showed us the famous “Sugar Shack” where buckets of the birch sap are put through a wood burning evaporator during the month of April. We sampled 3 varieties of this sweet yet unique birch nectar. We were surprisingly shocked with the rich, incomparable taste of birch syrup to maple syrup.

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Posted by BecJ, Victoria at 06:13 PM

Baby Donkey and Horses at the Hills Health Ranch

May 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > 100 Mile House, Farms & Orchards

The night we arrived at the Hills Health Ranch, we spent a bunch of time exploring the beautiful acreage.  We met Annie, a newly born (only three days old!) donkey along with the other 4 or 5 donkeys on the ranch.  Little Annie was the cutest thing, and a nice touch of reality on this ranch. 

 

Just before dinner, we had a chance to see some of the horses on the ranch.  About 12 or 13 of them had broken out of the fenced in area of the ranch and onto the ski hill just behind the main lodge.  We took pictures of them from the big balcony just off the 1871 dining room.  It was pretty cool to see the diversity of the horses, and funny they believed the ‘grass was greener’ on that particular side of the fence!

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Posted by kamloopstraveller, Kamloops at 06:38 PM

Spring Blossoms

May 1, 2009 | Tips from Us > Victoria, Farms & Orchards

It's blossom season in BC: I found these vibrant-hued buds near Oak Bay Village in Victoria.

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Posted by Janice , at 09:29 AM

A day at the farm - Morninstar Farms

April 14, 2009 | Field Reports > Parksville, Farms & Orchards

The farm is half-way between Parksville and Qualicum Beach on Central Vancouver Island.

It includeds Cheeseworks and Morningstar Creek Winery.   There's a ton to do - see where they get that yummy cheese from, sip some of their new wine and enjoy a day on the farm!

Watch my video if you can't experience it for yourself!

 

 

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Posted by Tourism BC Field Reporter - Kelli, Vancouver at 07:34 PM

Vernon Visit to Davison Orchard

October 9, 2008 | Tips from Us > Vernon, Farms & Orchards
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In September, I returned to my hometown to visit with family. The fall season in the Okanagan brought back one particular memory... APPLES!!! Fall meant the peak season for apples and as a kid I remember going to a family friend's orchard to collect apples that had fallen from the trees to make apple juice. The amount of labour was intense to make the juice but the rewards were sweet and we had concentrated apple juice for the rest of the year!

We no longer make homemade apple juice but I felt the need to share my childhood memories with my nephew so we decided to go to Davison Orchard to see the "apple patches" (as my nephew describes them)!

The orchard was decorated to display the seasons harvest - great orange pumpkins, a variety of apples and squiggly shaped Goose Gourds. To get a full tour of the orchard we hopped on the tractor-pulled Apple train for a "rollicking" ride! While on the tour you had the option to get dropped off to pick your own apples off the trees. The final destination of the tour was in front of the petting farm. A donkey "hee hawed" us welcome as we walked into the farm area where we also saw some bunnies, chickens, sheep and even fed some hungry goats! Then back to the main market for some apple samples and to try their caramel apple dessert for lunch!

I think we'll be back there again as it was a memorable visit for my nephew, so good in fact that you'll see his reluctance to go home in the video when we said good bye.

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Posted by jeanine, vancouver at 01:29 PM