If you didn't make it out to the orchard for opening weekend, there is still plenty of time to visit this season, and more varieties available every week. Here's a look at what will be ready this weekend:

• Gala: A fall favourite, there are 4 rows ready this weekend, with more Gala ready in the coming weeks. 
• McIntosh: Ontario's apple! Perfect for snacking, sauce, or mixed in pie, this red blush variety is at its peak. If you're a Mac person, this is a great weekend to pick.
• Silken: A smaller, sweet and yellow apple. These are perfect for school lunches and make a great addition to a batch of sauce.
• Ginger Gold: A surprise favourite among first-time visitors. These sweet, juicy apples now have a slight pink blush. Great for eating fresh, these beauties won't last much longer.
• Wealthy: If you can't wait to start baking, Wealthy is now full of sweet, apple flavour and just a hint of tartness which mellows in the oven. These will soon be picked clean!
• Early Gold: We have half bushel (~20lbs) bags of Early Gold, selling for $15 each! Perfect for a big batch of apples sauce, no additional sugar needed. 
• Honeycrisp: The star of the apple season. Our Honeycrisp are getting redder by the day but still need a bit more time to develop delicious sugars. Picking September 17.

This summer, we've seen plenty of sunshine and ample rainfall so our trees are weighed down with a healthy crop. As our first weekend of the season approaches, here is an update on current picking and upcoming varieties.

• Ginger Gold: There are plenty of large, sweet Ginger Gold in the orchard. The perfect variety to satisfy your craving for fresh, in-season apples. Now picking!
• Silken: This slightly smaller apple packs a punch with flavour, which will continue to improve over the next two weeks. Now picking!
• Wealthy: Can't wait to bake your first pie or make a batch of smooth apple sauce? This tart apple is one of the earliest baking varieties available. Now picking!
• Gala: A fall favourite, some of our Gala will be ready this weekend, with more Gala ready in the coming weeks. Available September 8.
• McIntosh: Ontario's apple! Perfect for snacking, sauce, or mixed in pie, this red blush variety is ready now (but still on the tart side) and get sweeter over the next few weeks. Available September 10.
• Honeycrisp: The star of the apple season. Our Honeycrisp have sized and started to colour nicely, but are still a few weeks away from picking. Available September 22.

Check the homepage frequently as available varieties are updated daily!
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It's been a busy summer at Nature's Bounty, to say the least. In addition to managing a healthy looking crop of apples, the crew has been busy pruning, installing new trellis wire, preparing the pumpkin patch and cutting hay. Before we know it, the fall picking season will be upon us and we'll welcome many of you to the orchard. 

Thanks to the hot weather and recent rains, the apple crop is growing rapidly. Some early varieties like Ginger Gold and Earligold will be ready by the end of August with more ripening by the week. Make sure to check our home page or subscribe to our newsletter  for the most up-to-date list of available varieties!

We've also been getting ready for our upcoming Dinner in the Orchard event; a first for us. A group of guests will gather in the orchard to enjoy a delicious dinner at our harvest table. Chef Kevin Brown has prepared a menu that will feature our own lamb and apples, as well as seasonal produce from our friends at Willowtree Farms. Craft beer lovers will savour five expertly paired brews from The Second Wedge Brewing Co. in Uxbridge. It's shaping a truly magical evening at the farm. If you'd like to learn more about the event or reserve tickets, visit our events page.

A Magical Evening on The Farm
The end of summer always brings with it an abundance of produce, cool, cozy nights and of course, the first fresh apples of the season. That's why we're so excited to announce our first-ever Dinner in the Orchard on Sunday, August 26, to kick off the harvest! We've teamed up with Chef Kevin Brown of KB and The Second Wedge Brewing Co. to bring you an evening filled with fresh local food, delicious craft beer pairings, a first taste of our fall crop, wagon ride and and orchard walk. 

Guests will enjoy a wagon ride out to the dining area and be greeted with tasty appetizers and the first of five craft beer tastings. Before dinner is served, a short walking tour of the orchard will help you work up an appetite for the four-course meal that awaits you at our 60' harvest table. The menu will feature freshly harvested, local produce from our friends at Willowtree Farm and lamb which is raised right here at Nature's Bounty. The Second Wedge will be on hand to pour some of their popular beer, expertly paired to complement each course. Naturally, everyone will have a chance to pick apples and take home a first taste of our bountiful harvest.

The Details

Location: Our harvest table is set in the heart of our orchard where the smell of ripening apples and quite ambiance will the mood for an intimate evening. Guests will park near the main farm gate and be ferried to and from by tractor and wagon. The address is 651 Scugog Line 2, Port Perry.

Menu: The menu has been designed by local chef and restaurant owner, Kevin Brown, and will feature local produce picked at its peak as well as our own lamb. A vegetarian option is available but should be noted prior to the event.

​Tickets: Tickets for this exclusive event are $100/person and can be reserved by emailing rob.naturesbounty@gmail.com. All tickets must be reserved prior to the event and can be paid for in advance or upon arrival. 

Inclement Weather: This event is rain or shine! Should we encounter poor weather, the dinner will be moved to a covered area next to the orchard. 

If you've visited naturesbountyfarm.com before, you'll notice we've updated our website's look and feel. We hope you will find it easier to navigate and stay up to date on the goings-on at the farm. While we are only open to the public from September through October, our farm is full of activity all year round. We hope to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse into our operation, the care we take of our trees and animals, and get you excited for the upcoming season.

See you in the fall,
Cathy & Marvin