Nature’s Bounty is a picturesque apple orchard and we strive to connect our customers to the local food system and the natural beauty that comes with it. Our employees play an important role in preserving the relaxed feel of the farm by chatting with customers, helping guests navigate the orchard, loading up pumpkins, and keeping everyone safe.
Many of our visitors return every year and it is our job to make their experience at the farm even better than before. We also have many retuning employees each season and we are excited to introduce some new faces to our team and customers! Applicants should have a strong work ethic, pay attention to details, the ability to problem solve, be energetic, and work well in a team. Duties may include tidying the market area, cleaning washrooms, updating signage, checking-in customers upon arrival, and roaming the farm to assist and direct guests as needed. Additional duties and cleaning measures may be implemented on an as-needed basis. For more details, please check out the Join Our Team page. To apply, send in your resume and a cover letter to rob.naturesbounty@gmail.com
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So, what exactly has been going on at the farm?
Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay tuned for updates and some exciting news coming soon!  The 2020 pick-your-own apple season has been anything but typical, and thanks to the overwhelming support from our community, our orchard is nearly picked out. Apple picking will continue until end of day Friday, October 23 with a few late season favourites like Russet, Empire, Idared and Ambrosia still available. Our market will remain open this Saturday and Sunday and visitors are welcome to purchase pre-picked apples, pumpkins, honey and other market goodies. As of Monday, October 26, the farm will be closed for the season.
Thank you to all of our guests (returning and first-timers!) who made it out to the orchard this fall. From all of us at Nature's Bounty, we wish you a safe and healthy winter and hope to see you all back here next September. It's a time-honoured Thanksgiving tradition for so many families; a visit to a local orchard for apple picking, hot cider and soaking in the vibrant colours of autumn. Even if things are a little different than in the past, we hope to be a part of your Thanksgiving celebrations this year.
To ensure the safety of all our guests and staff, pre-booking is required for all visits this weekend so that we can keep our guest count low and provide ample space for everyone. If you plan on visiting Nature's Bounty this Thanksgiving, please book ahead to avoid disappointment. We will have the largest selection of apple varieties of the season with all but a few available.
The cool fall weather has really set in now and the maple trees ablaze with bright hues of orange, red and yellow. You will certainly enjoy your drive through the countryside this weekend. As our early season apples finish up, our visitors will now enjoy a wide array of choices in the orchard. Late September and early October see the maturation of nearly ten varieties, with more still to come, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Another season of apple picking has arrived and thanks to the record-hot days we enjoyed this summer, our apples are bursting with flavour and sweetness. The timely rains we received in August have helped to crop size up. The orchard is positively tantalizing!
 How will Covid-19 affect the apple season? This is a question we have been mulling over all summer long. After careful consideration, we are confident that we can offer a safe and enjoyable pick-your-own apple experience this fall. Rest assured, we have sought the advice of Public Health and other farm businesses to develop our safety policy and while some things may be different, you will find that much of what you love about visiting our farm has remained the same. The big changesBooking and Paying in Advance: This is the most significant change we have implemented. To avoid large crowds, we are limiting the number of people allowed on the farm at one time. We are asking that all guests book their picking time in advance and pre-pay for apples. This will help reduce crowd size, limit contact between staff and guests, and facilitate contact tracing if the need arises. Our prices remain essentially the same, however, the bags are being sold empty and will not be weighed. Time Limits in the Orchard: To ensure fair access to the farm for all of our visitors, we ask that you respect a 60 minute time limit while in the picking area and 30 minutes for other activities for a total of 90 minutes per visit. Each vehicle will be given a card with the arrival time to display on the dash and staff will monitor the parking area. Online Shopping: Guests who are not interested in picking apples but would still like to purchase apples and other goodies are encouraged to use our online shopping feature and pick up their purchase at the farm. By pre-paying for your purchase, we simply load your order into your car and you are on your way. Rules in the Orchard: We will have additional staff on hand to guide you to the apple varieties that are ready for picking and check to ensure that you have purchased your apple bags prior to entry. Even though apple picking is done outside, we still ask that everyone respect physical distancing, sanitize hands before entering the picking area, and wear a mask if you are comfortable doing so. If a row becomes too crowded, staff will ask guests to wait outside the row until others have finished. What will remain the same?Apples: We have grown a delicious and beautiful crop of apples again this year, and still have over 20 varieties to choose from throughout the season. Please check the website to find out when your favourite variety will be available, or come with an open mind and try something new!
Activities: With some slight adjustments, we are still offering a corn maze, obstacle course, and pumpkin patch. The sheep still enjoy munching on corn husks and Lily the llama remains the guardian of the flock. Pumpkins and Squash: Our pumpkin and squash crop is looking good and we will have many different edible and decorative types available. Farm Shop: We have lots of new local products to offer this year, in addition to fresh baking, farm-fresh corn, preserves and fall decor.  While the last few months have been anything but typical, in many ways, it's business as usual here at Nature's Bounty. Our orchard has emerged from its winter slumber as have the many creatures that make our farm their home. Trees still need to be pruned, the grass still needs to be mowed, and the sheep still need to be fed. The presence of Covid-19 in our community is the new reality we are all facing, but we take our role as farmers seriously and will press on through the season to grow safe, delicious apples as we have done for more than 40 years.
We are keeping a close eye on recommendations from Public Health officials and are following their advice to keep our employees safe. Our measures include keeping at least 2 meters between employees, frequent cleaning of shared equipment and high touch areas, and daily screening for symptoms. Everyone at Nature's Bounty is sharing responsibility for our collective well being. As we look toward the fall harvest, we will adapt these safety measures for our picking crew and our customers. The start of picking season may be months away, but we are preparing for a number of possible scenarios we may face. Most importantly, we hope to offer Pick-Your-Own this fall, although there will likely be new protocols to keep our visitors safe. We will be watching other farms closely through the summer and working with them to adopt best practices. Provided we are permitted to be open to the public, rest assured that we will continue to make safety a top priority. We will update our followers with our new protocols as we get closer to harvest. It is our sincere hope that you and your family remain safe and healthy during the pandemic. There is no telling what the next few months will bring, but we eagerly await the day when we can open our gates and welcome everyone back to the farm.  During the off season, we receive a surprising number of messages from our followers about when and how to manage their backyard apple trees. Some people have an old, overgrown tree on their property and aren't sure what to do to produce edible fruit. Others have tried their hands at planting new trees but don't know what to do to keep them healthy and productive. Pruning plays a big role in both of these scenarios but when to prune depends on your desired outcome. Growing quality apples starts with proper pruning when the tree is dormant during the winter or early spring months. Prolonged freezing temperatures in the winter cause fruit trees to go into a a dormant period where energy is stored in the root system and sap stops flowing. Pruning and thinning cuts made while the tree is dormant will often promote vegetative regrowth as the tree wakes up and attempts to heal where cuts have been made. If a tree has diseased, broken or unproductive branches, winter pruning can be an effective way to replace old limbs that need to be removed. Pruning in winter should be done when average temperatures are still around freezing, but after the harshest conditions have passed. March is often the ideal time in our climate. Pruning in the summer can also have a beneficial effect on trees and fruit quality. Fruit trees, particularly ones that have been winter pruned, will typically push out vegetative (i.e. no fruit) shoots that can excessively shade growing fruit and lower limbs, preventing colour and sugar development. A cluttered and busy tree canopy can also be a breading ground for nasty diseases that can infect fruit, or worse, the tree itself. Prune out some of these shoots in the summer to allow light and air to reach the trunk and internal parts of the tree, but avoid making large cuts and structural changes to the tree in summer. Summer cuts made about a month before harvest will heal, but are far less likely to result in undesirable regrowth. Pruning is often considered more of an art than a science. Depending on who you ask, particular techniques or preferences can vary quite a bit. Even the experts can disagree! We rely on over 40 years of growing experience to guide our practices and get the most out of our orchard. Even still, we are constantly learning and experimenting with new techniques in an effort to improve the health and productivity of our trees. If you are interested in learning more about how to prune and manage your own fruit trees, consider signing up for our Pruning and Tree Care Workshop, which will be held at the farm on March 21 from 10 am - 1 pm. Advanced booking is a must as spaces are limited. Check out our event listing for more information!   After nearly two months of apple picking, our pick-your-own season is coming to an end and the final day of picking will be this Saturday, October 26. We will remain open until October 31 for pumpkins, squash, pre-picked apples and sweet cider. Swing by the orchard this Saturday for one last walk around the farm and enjoy a taste of fall in the country. We will still have Empire, Mutsu, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji and Spy available to pick. Hope to see you this weekend!
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