Brooklands Farm News and Updates

Seasons Greetings

2011-12-21T09:59:00.005-05:00

Seasons Greetings and all the very best for 2012

This time last year we had over 4 feet of snow on the ground. This year the creek has skiffs of ice on it and the day time temperatures are above zero! I guess there have been other Decembers like this...but never so warm! Have a safe and happy holiday season and we here at Brooklands look forward to the spring and the tapping of the maple trees.

Fire Fighters have fun with our brush pile!

2011-11-02T21:25:00.016-04:00

Wednesday nights is training night at the local fire hall and we have (I mean had) a humungous brush pile that had been getting larger and larger over the last couple of years. Burning it is environmentally not ideal, but it also poses a fire hazard to the farm. When we mentioned this brush pile to our local fire chief he figured it would create a perfect training opportunity for the guys on a Wednesday night! So tonight they rolled in. The pictures say it all!

That was some fire...as big as a house..and soooo hot! Our valiant firefighters had a great training session and a greater workout! They will sleep well tonight and we do not have a brush pile anymore!

Cranberry picking on our bog - a very peaceful afternoon!

2011-10-11T21:31:00.013-04:00

So what you see is a peaceful afternoon of picking wild cranberries on our bog. We will enjoy these delicious berries all winter long. They will taste good in all sorts of delicious recipes and ward off any flues and colds that pass by. Cranberries rock! Our pooch even knows that they are good for you. We could not stop him grazing cranberries!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011 at Brooklands

2011-10-10T12:23:00.003-04:00

Fabulous weekend in Muskoka.

Sunny clear days,incredible colours, long walks, stacking wood for the fires, picking cranberries in the bog, good food, lots of family time!

So gorgeous and peaceful - even the pooch kissed a rabbit!!

Fantastic turn out at the farm for the 2011 Field to Fork event!

2011-08-15T10:01:00.023-04:00

The photos say it all. Thanks to Robert Deline for sending them to us. Enjoy!

Partnership with Toronto Zoo finalized!

2011-07-17T08:29:00.005-04:00

We are delighted to announce another amazing project with the Toronto Zoo!
Stay tuned for for updates over the coming year.

Savour Muskoka Field to Fork Culinary Extravaganza 2011!

2011-06-14T17:47:00.005-04:00

So folks get your tickets or miss out on a really fun event!

In 2010 tickets sold out in three weeks!!!!

Eggs, Eggs and more Eggs!

2011-06-13T13:08:00.009-04:00

Lisa just said Chickens are so entertaining.....better than TV! We could not agree more. Its been almost three weeks since we got our birds and they have developed into such colorful characters. Not going to give them names although we could. We would become too attached to them...and then we could not possibly do the needful in the fall!!! Lets not go there just yet...although we have just discovered that young laying bird meat is fantastic and sought after in SE Asia and by gourmet chefs in Europe and costs more to buy than regular free range birds!

Here are some pictures of our biddies...such happy campers!

For the first couple of weeks the eggs were smaller and gradually became more numerous. Some of those early eggs were the size of Robin eggs with no yolks inside. Too cute.
Just for laughs here is a comparison:

Layers start laying at 19 weeks and some folks claim can lay eggs for up to 3 years. Our biddies are now producing close to 6 dozen eggs per day. The yolks are a bright yellowish orange with hazy egg whites. Did you know that the fresher an egg the higher it sit when cracked open? In other words stale eggs are flat in the pan! Our eggs are like little mounds and lately we have been even getting a few double yolkers! A sign of healthy birds with lots of good nutrition and space!!

Egg Mobile is home to 75 surprised chickens

2011-05-25T21:41:00.006-04:00

We drove down to Elmira to pick up the layers and all the trimmings to make them feel at home. The biggest surprise was that they were raised in a factory setting and when we first saw them they were in wee cages (eight to a cage) with hardly any room to move. These chickens were about 19 weeks old and beginning to lay the occasional brown egg.

So they were stuffed into five plastic cages and loaded into our van with feeders,waterers, egg cartons etc. We also stopped and picked up a pile of Ontario milled Omega 3 layer feed. Our chickens will have access to tonnes of grass, worms and plant material and this special feed that is spiked with flax seed. This makes the eggs extra special...soon we will able to sell free range omega 3 eggs, YUM!

When we got home to the farm we literally pored them into the coop that had been so diligently built for them. It truly was comparable to five star accommodation. They were locked in for the night with lots of feed and water. When the door was opened in the morning they very tentaviely all came out. It took them pretty much the whole day to get used to their freedom. It really was incredible. By dusk we had a really hard time to get them back inside...and we found four small brown eggs!

Egg mobile or port-a-potty look alike!

2011-05-18T19:43:00.008-04:00

Our Egg mobile is almost ready. It was put together in the barn on rainy days and now has been hauled outside where the finishing touchs are being added. We have had folks ask us if it is our new port-a-potty! It does look a bit like one!! What a hoot. The Egg mobile is built on a trailer that hooks to a tractor that will haul it from pasture to pasture every few days. Our brown egg layers arrive either Friday of this week or Tuesday after May 24. The eggs that our chickens will produce will be truly free range and the best! We are very excited.

Farewell feed with farm fare to our Aussie lad!

2011-05-14T19:13:00.007-04:00

So Stephen our Aussie intern has taken off after living on the farm with us for 3 whole months. It was great having him here. He ad planned this trip for over a year and came to Canada to learn all about making maple syrup. How he is hoping to partner with the Botanical Gardens in Sydney and try and make Maple Syrup down under. Apparently they have about 15-20 sugar maple trees in the Blue Mountains! So we sent him off on his next leg...exploring British Columbia with a fabulous feed of fresh asparagus, shitake mushrooms, potato wedgies and good old hamburgers with all the trimmings.

The most Amazing potato - YUM!

2011-05-11T21:03:00.003-04:00

We planted 600lbs of potatoes today. This was the first planting...3 to go. Lots of color, organising and work. We focus on heirloom varieties which pack a nutritional punch, fabulous flavor and please the eye. They should be ready for the pot/oven or BBQ end of July or so. New potatoes...YUM!

The most AMAZING Orange - what we all eat -YIKES!!

2011-05-10T20:25:00.007-04:00

This is a story that I want to share because it blew our minds away.

Most of our full time help on the farm live here with us in the old farm house. The house was closed down for the winter last November when Liam and Geneva took off for Kiwiland. We opened it up again in April and turned the water on etc. Lo and behold on the kitchen table was a fruit bowl full of falling apart dried out gourds, the seeds of which the mice had been feasting on! Yikes!! These once upon a time beautiful fall deco pieces had been grown by us on the farm last season. People don't eat them, but I don't blame the mice! They are clean, wholesome and nutritious - by mice standards that is.

But then bigger YIKES...also in the bowl was an intact orange in its mesh bag from South Africa. It was soft and firm and seemed as though someone had just placed it there. In fact it had stayed in the bowl from sometime in October till we found it in April!! We actually cut it open...it seemed pretty good...Steven our Aussi intern even tried it! Verdict...absolutely tasteless! Question...what did they do to that fruit so it did not go bad???

Rain gets in the way of new sign and second pair joins the first

2011-05-06T12:14:00.010-04:00

What a hoot! Started installing the new sign on the barn and it started to rain again. Its too slippery to go back on the roof. So we have to be BROO for a while! The rain is great for the newly planted berries though. We are in for lunch and enjoying the view of the gardens and the rain through the kitchen window.

So later in the afternoon the rain eased and we got as far as the D.The S will go on as soon as the rain stops! But then as the skies turned grey and we heard all this familiar ruckus and looking up we saw a second pair of Sandhill Cranes fly in to join the resident pair!

(click on photo to enlarge)

Unexpected Strawberry plants!

2011-05-05T20:29:00.008-04:00

Life of a farmer...never ending routine with unexpected surprises. Purolator rolled in with 4000 strawberry baby plants from Quebec. Some new varieties that we want to try out in this northern zone this year. So everyone HAD to change gears and plant. Into the ground they went...all planted and safe! Irrigation was hooked up and after 3-4 "small" glitches worked like a charm. The last thousand will be planted first thing in the morning. Thank goodness for flexible hard working lads who persevere through thick and thin. 14000 more will be planted next week. And the Sandhill cranes watched us through the whole thing!

Pair of Sandhill Cranes grace the farm

2011-05-04T18:54:00.001-04:00

(clickon photo to enlarge)
For the last couple of years we have seen a Sandhill Crane visit for a few short days in the spring and fly away. However this year three cranes appeared and stuck around for a while. What a ruckus they made. Lovely sight and amazing sounds. We figured they were either one female and two males or the other way around! Which do you figure? Anyway as of yesterday there are only two left - one has left. We now have a distinguished pair in residence and are fortunate to witness early morning dances and all. I hope they stick around and have chicks! We don't possess any fancy cameras so you have to be happy with this picture above. Enjoy!

2011-05-03T20:47:00.007-04:00

This week has been filled with preparations for the upcoming season. Ken and the lads...we have three strapping young men on the farm helping now...have all the oats and clover planted into last years fields. These will be plowed down in the fall as green manure.

The garlic, chives and rhubarb is all about 5 inches tall. Have been enjoying the chives with the potatoes.YUM!

On Sunday we visited Severn Sunset Eco Farm to learn a bit about raising chicken. Oh boy we learnt a lot. Andy and Heather were very welcoming and spent time with us showing us around. We have ordered our laying birds and they arrive in the third week of May!

Major web site update

2011-04-26T18:21:00.003-04:00

So finally it has happened. We have made a major change to our web site!

Folks were saying that our produce list on the site was toooo long and hard to use. Folks have been asking what our next plans were for the barn and culinary studio. So now we have made some changes over the Easter weekend and it is much better...more concise and easier to use and hopefully answers all your questions better.

Let us know if we should make any more additions. The revamped site is a whopping 46 pages long already.

So syrup season is behind us and we are in the middle of getting a chicken mobile built. Yes we hope to have free range layers this year. Will post on this shortly. In the meantime hope it stops raining soon...cause we have to get on the land.

Wonderful Field to Fork Event

2010-08-16T14:56:00.005-04:00

Its been a while since we posted on this blog and that is because we simply have not had the time!!! Sooooo busy!! The raspberries have come and gone as have the peas, snaps and snows. We are into corn and the first of the winter squash. Summer is almost done already and fall is around the corner! But today's post is something we just had to do....Sunday, August the 15Th...the first of the seasons, Savour Muskoka Field to Fork Event was held at Brooklands. We also inaugurated our "culinary destination" in the old log house! The whole event was a grand success! Everybody loved it and had a wonderful time. Delicious food, wine, beer, fabulous music and tonnes of fun. A big thank you to all who came and made it a very special afternoon (over 250 people that is)! I too spun out of control jiving on the grass and landed me and my partner flat on our backs!! But guess what...you only live once..and we got up and kept on jiving!!!

Strawberry Festivals & Rain!!l

2010-06-29T05:52:00.008-04:00

Its been a while since we have posted to this blog and thats because we have been swamped!! In more ways than one. The weeds are trying to take over, the strawberries season kicked in and demanded picking, we became shorthanded for help, the rain kept coming and to top it all we had to prepare for the Strawberry festival! Today is another new day and the sun is out and things are looking brighter indeed! We have new help, the weeds are getting under control, its does'nt seem to be raining and the G8, G20 and the Berry Festival are behind us!! Saturday of the festival was rained out and we had to postpone the main event to Sunday. Lots of folks came out and picked all day. The festival was great...lots of pie, cream, hamburgers and fun. Now the Raspberries need picking!! The summer this year is moving very fast indeed!!

Saving turtle eggs, the zoo and a heap of knowledge!

2010-06-12T19:02:00.018-04:00

So,we had the privilege of hosting the TO Zoo's "Adopt a Pond" team on the farm today. We all learnt a lot. Here are a few pictures that say it all! It started by a walk-a-bout with Ken to rece the farm for the actual workshop, looked at some turtle nesting sites and deciding that the Big Mama nest needed to be moved because it was in the driveway! Then Erin & Bob from the zoo made a terrific presentation in the barn about habitat, turtles, frogs and such, with visual and actual modles of these wonderful creatures. This was followed by the delicate task of relocating Big Mama's nest to a safer place. All in all an awesome day! Feel
really sorry for you folks that could'nt make it!!!

Painted Turtles, the Zoo and Strawberries

2010-06-11T20:36:00.005-04:00

So we have been frantic and busy and trying to catch up to the way spring is progressing! Sooo fast!! All the summer flowers are almost out in bloom (I mean the ones that usually blossom in early July)and the turtles have come come and gone...meaning have crawled out of the swamp, dug their nests, laid their eggs and returned to where they came from....almost 3 weeks earlier than usual. Or so we thought! Tonight we spent time cleaning up around the farm, mowing the lawns etc, as tomorrow is our first big day of the season....the strawberry patch will be open to pick-your-owners and the most importantly the Toronto Zoo is coming to the farm!!! To educate us about wetlands, ponds and the creatures that live in them. So here I was motoring along on the lawn mower and there on the edge of the road in the short grass I spotted a painted turtle laying her eggs. The lawn mower disturbed her and I think she abandoned the nest..which by the way had eggs in it. So we put a bucket, a cage and a stone over it, to protect it from the skunks, coons and even our dogs overnight and hope the folks from the zoo will know what to do. Will keep you posted.

Rain and Turtles

2010-05-27T18:37:00.030-04:00

So the rain dance worked!! It pouring this afternoon ...at least an inch of rain! All the little planties and most of all, the sweetcorn is safe for at least another couple of weeks. It was was sooo hot leading up to today!! Must have been 32C in the shade!! Yikes and this is only May! Yesterday out in the fields planting potatoes and harvesting rhubarb was bearable. There was a cool breeze...today was humid and hot. We logged off work after lunch and some went off to the lake for a dip, Ken fell asleep on the couch and I studied tomato trellises!
Another neat thing happened on the farm yesterday and today and probably for the next few days. The mummy snapping turtles decided that it was time to lay their eggs. We must have seen at least half a dozen beauties here and there..hard at work laying eggs. Emilie called the eggs "gobstoppers"!! I actually kept an eye on a a big Mama from about 5:30AM till she was done at about 9!! Check her out! Its the turn of the painted and spotted turtles next!

Rain Rain we want rain!

2010-05-23T11:45:00.004-04:00

Things are growing like crazy! We have the heat and hopefully no more frost. Our transplants

have doubled in size and the asparagus is back on the menu! But...always a but... we have not had any rain for a while and if this goes on, parts of the farm...the fields further away...the ones that do not have access to irrigation....are in trouble! The pumps have been running regularly and most of the gardens are happy. So all you folks out there please do a rain dance for us!

Frost hits the farm!

2010-05-09T19:11:00.016-04:00

We knew that the warm weather was not going to last. Yesterday, a cold wind came out of the north, bringing snow and over 12 hours of frost . By morning the gardens and fields were looking decidedly chilly! Some crops, like our rhubarb, will soon recover. Our peas, just emerging may re-emerge from nodes beneath the soil . The asparagus will be delayed, but new spears will persist. The raspberry flower buds have not yet extended , and will be somewhat protected. The trays of new seedling in the greenhouse were kept warm by the fire we kept buring during the night in the stove. But we are not able to protect the strawberries. Normally, frosts in May occur during clear, still clouldless nights. when heat from the plants on the ground is sucked up by the black sky above. Damage from such drosts - called radiation frosts - can be controlled by turning on the irrigation sprinklers, until the sun warms the plants in the morning. But last night , we experienced an advection frost (also know as a wind frost), when the high winds made irrigation frost control useless. The newly expanding flower buds have surely been damaged. There are a limited number of buds, not yet developed, which may replace the ones hit by frost. Frosts are predicted for the next two nights. The irrigation system is ready. If frost does come, we hope for a still calm nights so the we can irrigate to protect the remaining flower buds from damage.

Bugs!

2010-05-08T11:49:00.011-04:00

The bugs are here.....a definite sign of summer. Blackflies and mosquitoes are out in droves. On Brooklands we are in bug paradise! So outside in Gods country you are never alone. When they first arrive (the bugs that is) they don't bite. They fly around you, get in your eyes, your nose and sometimes you even choke on them. Why aren't they biting you wonder...they are being nice this year! Then all of a sudden the honeymoon is over (literally) and they start biting. Its because the females are getting ready to lay their eggs and need blood to succeed! So here on the farm its bug season and everybody who the bugs find tasty (yes they leave some people alone) has to wear a bug jacket. They work well and also one gets away with not having to slather oneself with nasty bug repellent. Hear say has it that human body odor is the best repellent....none of us have tried that because we are a clean lot! But we are working on a natural concoction...if it works we will let you know. Essential oils that are natural repellents include oils of lemon grass, citronella, lavender, geranium & lemon eucalyptus. These oils also have a reputation to soothe and calm the nerves...so try them out and relax in bug heaven.

A hopefull spring!

2010-05-04T21:57:00.007-04:00

The early spring definitely has some advantages. The first planting of corn, potatoes, peas, carrots, turnips and beets are in! We have had a few feeds of asparagus and the first fresh rhubarb crumble of the season today. And its only May the 4th! The wild strawberries are in full bloom and Ken saw the first flowers on the strawberries in the patch. This could mean that we will have early corn, almost 2 weeks early! The raspberries have surprised us too! Remember that 2 meter dump of snow we had back in December? That snow flattened the canes and we though we had lost the crop...but they have bounced back and are actually leafing out. Hopefully we will have a half decent crop of raspberries. Lets not get our hopes up though, cause we may still get no rain or worse...a hard late frost! Those are the negatives!

Final touches to the old barn!

2010-04-08T17:54:00.003-04:00

Anthony, Emilie & Ronny hard at it!

So Maple Syrup season has come and gone. It was probably the shortest and most intense season that we ever had. It was also the earliest that spring has ever sprung. Lots of really warm days and opportunities to get some renovations done to the barn. We had saved the cedar shakes that had been taken off the old log house 5 years ago and used them to side the renovated barn foundation that has been waiting for that final touch for almost 25 years. The barn was built by a community barn raising in 1901. Commissioned by Kens great grand father George and masterminded by a Mr.Mason who received a horse in payment. The shakes look really good - like they have been there all the time!

2010-03-04T21:00:00.002-05:00

Maple syrup season has begun with a bang! Whats interesting is that we tapped our trees almost a full 10 days earlier than we have ever done! You figure global warming is at play? Today was our first boil and we made our first sweet liquid gold! We are collecting sap now and will not be boiling again till Saturday at the earliest.

Sad...but another milestone

2010-03-02T20:09:00.005-05:00

Hello All!

It has been over a week now since Walker (Dad/ Grandpa) passed away. He died in his sleep surrounded by family at the Pines on February 21, 2010. He will be missed by all. He had an amazing life and hung on to the family farm through thick and thin. His legacy lives on through this very farm.

This picture was taken earlier this year. Walker was almost 90 years old.

Update!

2010-02-19T18:40:00.001-05:00

Finally, after tearing each others hair out, my Mum and I have managed to add some substantial content to the website.

Enjoy!

Another amazing event!

2010-02-02T14:28:00.005-05:00

On January 1, 2010 Joane and Walker Riley ( M & D as we fondly call them) celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary! Yes folks as Dad would say... "yes siree 65th"!!! Now that is quite a milestone and we were all there on the farm to celebrate the day with them!

What a day!

Snow Snow and more Snow

2010-02-02T14:05:00.005-05:00

Hello there! To give you a jist of whats happening on the farm our blog will continue with pictures. Look, see and believe!

This shot was taken in December when we had almost 2 meters of snow dump on us in just three days. Amazing nature! There was nothing we could do but sit and watch! Now in January we still have piles of the white stuff..but we are getting into working in the maple bush. Guess what! Digging up the lines!!

Look forward to our sweet golden syrup!!

Strawberry Festival?!

2009-07-08T20:13:00.002-04:00

Never in my life have i seen more people at our farm... The festival was a huge success! I was going to wait until i had pictures so you could see just how amazing the day was. As you can see i didn't, you're just going to have to come back and visit again to see them.

The strawberry smoothies, salad, and pie were a hit. Catherine and my Mum can really bake a mean pie. They used "the family secret" hot water pastry recipe to make a pie so good i couldn't even begin to describe it here. Maybe if you're really nice she'll tell you... maybe.

If you missed out, there's always next year. We're also planning a corn festival which promises to have a live band, and even more fun for the whole family. Check back later for more details.

Strawberry Festival!

2009-07-02T22:23:00.006-04:00

We here at Brooklands farm love the Strawberry so much that we have dedicated a festival to it. Come out and celebrate this delicious fruit with us this Saturday, July 4th at our 2nd annual Strawberry Festival!

It looks like its going to be great day for it (according to the weather network), so come pick some berries with the family and enjoy the farm. Hamburgers, Hotdogs, fresh strawberry salads, pie and smoothies will be available. For the kids, we have face painting as well

We look forward to seeing you!

It seems a lot of people visit this website...

2009-06-30T23:17:00.003-04:00

So here i thought my little project was going unnoticed... I'm grossly wrong. It seems in the last week we've picked up about 40-60 visitors per day!!! I guess its time for regular updates, starting with this one.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 1st of July (Canada Day, YAY!), we're open. Last i checked there were quite a few berries out there. However, don't take my word for it. Call 764-1888, this hotline is updated whenever something new goes down and is your best chance of finding out whether there are any berries left. Make sure to pick up some Arugula as well, it goes great with the berries in a lovely summer salad. In fact, come by on the 4th of July for our 2nd annual strawberry festival. I will personally be making a batch of this salad for you to try and fall in love with. Check back tomorrow, ill be setting my mum up with a blogger account and she'll be posting here like its nobodies business.

Its late, and i slave away early. So its bed time for me. Within the week check back for some major updates to the website! Thanks for visiting!

- Nik

We now have a blog!

2009-06-30T22:40:00.001-04:00

Hello world.

Brooklands Farm now has a blog!!! As creator of this website, and for testing purposes, i'm posting first! ;)

When my mum realizes how easy it will be to modify, edit and otherwise update the website through this blog she's going to have a field day. I wouldn't doubt seeing at least a post a day from her. Kind of a scary thought....

Too the left is my Mum and a bunch of strawberries... Yep, strawberries are now in season, so come by grab a basket and pick till you drop.

Check back for updates soon!