Celebrate Fall's Chills and Thrills at an Ontario Farm
Tomatoes and corn may be disappearing from farmers’ markets as the days get shorter and the nights grow cold, but late fall is peak season for a bounty of wonderfully nutritious produce, including dark leafy greens, succulent squash and wholesome apples. OFFMA's Find a Farm locator can help your audience locate local farms to visit on beautiful autumn weekends, where couples and families alike can delight in the stunning colours and scents of the orchards, savour soul-nourishing comfort foods from the bake shop and stock up on delicious produce to enjoy throughout the week.
Story ideas for a Fall Feast
Squash: Brightly-coloured and whimsically-shaped, a bevy of winter squash ripen in autumn. Whether baked, roasted, broiled or sautéed, versatile squash is fabulous in a salad, perfect with pork and delightful as dessert. Help inform your audience about how to pick, store and cook this sweet seasonal vegetable. For a fun-filled weekend excursion, several on-farm markets such as Pine Farms Orchard in King Township sell squash, along with many other fruits, vegetables and fresh-baked pies. Pine Farms also boasts a fruit winery and cider house where visitors can sample delicious fruit wines and ciders.
Rutabaga: Most Ontario rutabagas are "Laurentian" - round, densely fleshed with a bright purple and cream exterior. Share recipe, selection, cooking and storage ideas for this earthy root vegetable, which is a good source of vitamin C and a source of folacin and fibre.
OFFMA’s Find a Farm locator can help your audience plan a unique autumn adventure.
Fresh Farms
Fall’s favourite fruit continues to shine throughout November thanks to numerous apple orchards across Ontario.
Martin’s Family Fruit Farm is a family business located in Waterloo, Ontario, that specializes in growing, wholesaling, packing, retailing and marketing the highest quality Ontario apples.
The business was established in the 1970s when founder Leighton Martin planted the company’s first orchard of 100 apple trees. Still run and operated by four members of the Martin’s family, the company has grown to encompass 700 acres of orchard land in Ontario (Leamington and Vienna) where it grows many varieties of apples including McIntosh, Gala, Golden Delicious and Fuji.
For the past decade, Martin’s has invested in innovative and sustainable technologies such as drip irrigation and high density orchards. It also boasts a 340,000 bushel controlled atmosphere storage facility in Vienna, Ontario, which is considered one of the most modern in Canada.
Over the next five years, Martin’s aims to take advantage of Canada’s growing demand for fresh local apples by expanding its packing business and introducing a “pick your own” apple orchard in Waterloo, Ontario.
If your audience wants to get their hands on these juicy apples, they can visit Martin’s stand at the St. Jacobs farmers’ market. Or, conveniently located 1 km from the market is its retail store, which is open Monday to Saturday and sells the freshest Ontario apples, local fruits and vegetables.
To learn more about Martin’s Family Fruit Farm, please contact us and we would be glad to arrange an interview with company president Kevin Martin.
To offer some delicious apple recipes to your readers, visit http://ontariofarmfresh.com/consumers/recipes/.
Night-time Corn Mazes
For those that are not afraid of things that go ‘bump in the night,’ there are many corn mazes (such as Leaping Deere Legends and McMaze) that stay open at night for a frighteningly good time for Halloween. Help your audience easily find a maze by telling them about OFFMA’s Maze Craze locator.
Halloween Treat - Pumpkin Crème Brulée
Consumer Contest: Win an Ontario Dining Experience
Whet your audience’s taste buds by sharing news of OFFMA’s “Ontario Dining Experience” contest. When consumers sign-up for the Ontario Farm Fresh e-newsletter, they will be entered in a draw at the end of October to win a gift basket filled with seasonal goodies and the chance to win the grand prize – a personal chef’s visit to cook for six guests at the winner’s home. This unique culinary experience will feature farm-fresh Ontario produce.
What's in Season? 
| Month | What’s in Season |
| October | Apples, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cranberries, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, grapes, lettuce, onions, pears, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, squash, tomatoes |
| November | Apples, beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, radishes, squash |
| December | Apples, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, squash |
Contact Us
For interviews, recipes/photos or if you would like to visit an OFFMA members’ farm, please contact:
Kathy Khamis
Faye Clack Communications Inc.
905-206-0577 ext. 247
kkhamis@fayeclack.com