Smiths' Apples and Farm Market
470 The River Road, RR#3 N0H 2C7 Port Elgin, ON, Canada

It’s hard not to be affected by what happened in the US yesterday. What’s most scary to me was learning that there was an attempt to get the paper ballots of the Electoral College, and burn them (preventing democracy from moving forward). Thankfully they were saved. As we talk with friends across Canada, we also recognize that what happened in the US could potentially happen here in Canada too. And, the best way to prevent that is through self-education. We have a great coll...ection of books, both fiction and non-fiction, that are powerful lessons in Anti-Racism. As Ibram X. Kendi says in his writings: there are three types of peopleSegregationists, Assimilationists, and Anti-Racists. It’s been a challenging lesson to realize how I was raised to be an assimilationist, and need to grow towards being an Anti-Racist. We have all of these books in stock if you are interested in taking steps towards your own self-education on this topic. Feel free to DM us if you need a recommendation, as some books transcend geography, some look specifically at Canada or the US, and some are difficult AND important reads. We can offer limited contact pick up or limited delivery.

Wishing a Happy start of Kwanzaa to all who celebrate. (And strength for the great dig out to everyone in Bruce County)

It’s no secret that I (Katie) love snow. I may love it so much that as a child my church’s minister *may* have told me to Stop Praying for Snow. (Clearly I love snow too much of a minister told me to stop praying, but I digress). My Christmas wish for a White Christmas may just be coming true as I look outside this morning. We want to wish everyone celebrating a Merry Christmas. We want to THANK everyone working over the next few days. And we hope everyone can find some hop...e and joy in the [slightly] longer and brighter days. This is certainly a different holiday season for many, and we wish you all the very best as you find ways to enjoy what you have and stay safe and healthy. Best wishes to everyone from Katie, Jim, Coraline and everyone at Smiths’ Apples [Photo shows the current snow falling on the front orchard]

Yesterday was the winter solsticethe longest night. We had a fire to remind ourselves to find light in the darkness. We thought about people who bring light into our lives. We thought about the people in our lives going through dark times waiting for the light to return. We read a bit from Mark Nepo’s book The Book of Awakening: There is nothing to do And nowhere to go. Accepting this,... We can do everything And go anywhere. We cannot eliminate hunger, but we can feed each other. We cannot eliminate loneliness, but we can hold [or in 2020 call] each other. We cannot eliminate pain, but we can live a life of compassion. Stripped of causes and plans and things to strive for, I discovered that everything I could need or ask for is right herein flawed abundance. Since then, my efforts have turned from trying to outrun suffering to trying to express it, from trying to achieve joy to trying to discover it, and from trying to shape or better the lives around me to accepting love wherever I can find it As the light starts to return and we face anther shutdown we hope you can all find joy and love. Everyday find some sunshine (even in these thick clouds), write it down, say it out loud, call someone and share it with them, hold it deep in your heart. [photo is of our bonfire last night]

Carolling has started on 98 The Beach and I am here by our tree singing as loud as I can. This has been a year about making and finding joy and love in unexpected places. I hope you are all finding joy and love today wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Happy Saturday before Christmas everyone! It’s the most busiest-shopping-day of the year ... We are open for one last Hurrah, as we still have Honeycrisp apples, cider and frozen baking. We’d love to see you out at the farm today. We’re open from 10am to 5pm today (Saturday). Then, we’re done like a flaming hot Christmas Goose with Gonzo dancing on it! Also, if you’re coming out todaythe road is a little slippery. Or, as Mommy Fozzy Bear would say watch out for the icy patch! (If you’ve got snow tires on and drive safe, you will be fine, and if not, skate with caution). We hope to see you out today. And since this is already a run-on-post...(*common Jim, you’ve bored them all, no one is reading at this point...*) Tomorrow, from 4pm to 6pm, we’re cohosting the Physically Distanced but not Emotionally Distanced Christmas Carol Singalong with 98 The Beach come sign along without having to listen to our out of tune caterwauling The lyrics are all linked on 98 The Beach’s website, and you can join along on-line or from a good old fashioned radio!

This was a different year for the corn maze as we had to make sure it was Covid safe and had to design it in the spring. We had planned the PacMan theme years ago for the 40th anniversary of the game, so had to change the design (and challenge ideas) from what we had planned to something that worked with the limitations we had this year. So rather than a challenge there was a story of tribute to an arcade game and everyone’s hard work fighting a pandemic. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the maze this year.

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope things are well with you and that if your kids were impacted by the recent school shuffling, that the transitions are going well (our kid is most disappointed to lose her French teacher, but I’m sure it will work out okay after a few weeks of grumbling). As for the orchard: we are open today from 10am to 5pm. There are lots of beautiful apples, picked for you, in store. We have Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Jonagold and Northern Spy available. ...PYO is done for the season as that part of the orchard has been picked clean. We also have fresh baking available in store. Also, today is a great day to do the corn maze. Inside the corn, it’s actually pretty warm. The theme this year is Pac Man (to celebrate the 40th anniversary), and we’ve designed the corn maze like a video gameyou have to decide if you turn left or right at a couple of spotschoose wrong and you’re eaten by a ghost. Choose correct, and you keep going! Inside the correct path is also a series of verses to explain the cultural significance of Pac Man, all written to the theme of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire.

That’s a wrap on the 2020 Fall Season. Like everything in 2020 is was different, it was challenging, but also special and wonderful. A huge THANK YOU to all our customers, staff, family, and friends who made the fall season possible and safe amid many global and personal challenges. Today after more than 75 straight days of work and over 100 playings of the Come From Away soundtrack (I challenge you to find better baking music... it even replaces Meatloaf in family lore at this point) we are enjoying a day of rest, and candy, and family time. We hope you are all also enjoying some down time today. See you later in November (the 20th, 21st, 27th, and 28th to be exact) for our Christmas Market Days. Much love and gratitude, Katie, Jim, and Coraline

We are open today (Monday) from 10 to 5pm. We have lots of Honeycrisp apples still. We have some baking, so come early if you want a pie (but we will have lots of biscuits and cookies). ... And the weather looks great for a trip through the corn maze and a play in the Outback!

First the good news: we have lots of Honeycrisp in stock. Also, this weekend, we will have in store: Honeycrisp, Royal Galas, Golden Delicious, and Northern Spy’s. The not-so-good news is that our Pick-your-own areas are done for this year. We are so appreciative of the many customers who’ve come to experience the trees this year, and they’ve picked those trees cleaner than I’ve ever seen. Seriouslythere’s a spot in the Gala block that’s never picked clean, and even that is ...empty! It’s the same in the Pumpkin patchthere are no pumpkins left. So, for this weekend, we will have the Corn Maze and outback open (limiting to 10 families at a time to ensure physical distancing). We will also have the PYO orchard open for walking, but not picking. And, of course, our store will be open, with Apples, Baking, Jams, books and more. Please remember that as the case loads are increasing, we all need to take safety seriouslyplease where masks on site, everywhere (even outdoors) and wash your hands when you come into our store (hand wash sink available at the entrance). We will also be limiting number of people on site to ensure we can keep the line ups safely spaced, but hopefully everything can flow smoothly and that line ups aren’t too long. We are doing our best to help everyone have a positive experience and keep everyone safeand that’s a challenging balance to walk.

We always said our bakery staff was magical but now we have proof! Dipping the Apple Cider doughnuts into the cauldron of...? What do you think they’re dipping them in? Open today until 5pm, and then we disappear into the mist... bwahaha...

It’s our last day! We are open from 10am to 5pm, and then we will be closed. We have Honeycrisp, Northern Spy’s and Golden Delicious apples remaining. We also have lots of baking, both fresh and frozen. Lots of apple cider too. ... I hope to see you out!

From our family to yours: Happy Thanksgiving! We are grateful to everyone who’s come and visited our farm this season. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you! And we are so grateful for our amazing team who have helped us host all you wonderful people. We are open tomorrow (Monday) from 10am to 5pm.... We have lots of good apples in store: Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, Jonagold and Aurora Golden Galas. Also, there’s still plenty of baking that will be available tomorrow. Online orders will be available again starting Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone. We are open 10-5 all weekend long. Happy Apple Tips for a Covid Safe Visit Face masks are required in the store, and are highly encouraged to be worn everywhere onsite (keeps the bugs out of your blossoms)... Please eat ONLY in the designated eating area, while sitting down (you may not eat through your roots, but it’s a safe way to eat right now) There are multiple hand-wash stations around the property keep your branches clean before you put them near your tender parts (us trees don’t understand why you need faces and mouths, but to each their own, we guess) Please be patient and kind it’s been a rough year on everyone, well, everyone but the apple trees. They had a good year with lots of sunshine and warmth. But please be kind to them too.

Sometimes when you put out a Jam-Signal (like the Bat-Signal) a superhero arrives. Late last night we got a huge delivery of Jam. It’s so wonderful having the jam display full again. We are open 10-5 everyday and a little later on Fridays. We have lots of Honeycrisp and Royal Gala and a limited amount of McIntosh. Please remember to wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep 2m from others when coming out to the farm.

It’s out last day! We are open from 10am to 5pm. Our Corn Maze is open! ... And we have Honeycrisp, Northern Spy and Golden Delicious apples. We also have lots of fresh and frozen baking. I hope to see you out here. Happy Halloween!

Remember if there are specific baked goodies you would like this weekend to get your orders in. We can take them by phone, in person, or by email ([email protected]). If you make an order you can pick up either in store or skip the lines with our pick up window (located just at the side of the store, you just need to knock). Online orders can also be made for next day pick up https://smiths-apples.myshopify.com

Since we’re open late tonight, we needed to order out dinner (it’s never a good idea to feed a kid after midnightthey’re like gremlins that way). One of our favourite local spots, Outlaw Brew Co., picked up some of our Galas to try an experiment this week, and it seemed like a great idea to give it a try tonight. And oh boy, did this experiment go well. Our kiddo promptly exclaimed after trying the desert pizza: Mind Blown! So, if you’re wondering about something to treat yourself to this weekend, we can highly recommend the Seasonal Special pizza and their desert pizza!

We are very happy to help put smiles on cute piggy faces.

October 1st can only mean one thing: Pumpkin Pie!!! And don’t worry pumpkin’s a super good so these totally count as healthy.

If you’re looking for a nostalgic Apple treat this weekend CBC just shared a recipe for both red candy apples and caramel apples. We haven’t tried these, because I am known for large messes when baking and can only imagine the sticky mess I would make with these, but if you are a neater baker than I am this could be a lot of fun. We have lots of Honeycrisp, Northern Spy, and Golden Delicious Apples along with a great stock of frozen baking, freshly baked baking, jams, apple cider and more. We are open Thursday 10-5, Friday 10-7, and Saturday 10-5. Also please remember that we cannot allow anyone to enter the store with light up shoes or anything else that lights up... so please leave all lightsabers in a galaxy far, far, away.

Every Child Matters. Today is Orange shirt day when we reflect on our country’s history of residential schools and genocide against Indigenous People. We reflect on our rolls in the systems that perpetrate racism. And we work toward a better world. This year our hearts are with everyone at Saugeen Ojibwe Nation after this weekend’s fires. Stand up for what’s right today.

Happiness is a full bakery display! After struggling most weekends to keep up, we’ve finally got things dialed in. This afternoon is a great time to stop by to pick up cider, a pie, and some Apple Cider doughnuts!

Talk about a case of the Monday’s. Our fresh baked goods will be sparse until Wednesday at best. Why you ask? It’s because Katie gave herself a mild concussion while doing the dishes. I know she hates doing the dishes, but was that really the best way to get out of doing dishes for the rest of the season!?!? (Over 20 years ago, Katie had a traumatic brain injury, so it doesn’t take much to give her concussion symptoms. ALSO: she is okay, we don’t need any advise or sympathy..., just understanding that she’s not going to be able to get up early to get things baked, and it’s going to take a little longer to restock after the busy weekend). So, in store, we’ve got lots of beautiful Honeycrisp, we’ve got some attractive Galas (they’re a bit small, but still taste great), and we’ve got some Mac’s left (I expect to be out of firsts of Macs by the end of this week, so we are considering selling seconds of them rather than using them all for cider). We’ve also got lots of Maple products from Stoner’s Maple Syrup, boxes of Cider, and the selection of cook books and books that Katie curated is fantastic! If you are looking for baked goods over the next two weeks (up to Thanksgiving) the best thing to do is to ORDER! From Monday to Friday, you can place phone orders, and for next-day pick up, there’s our Online market (Smiths-Apples.MyShopify.com) I hope you had a wonderful first weekend of Autumn, and I hope you have a great week!

Our Halloween At Home kits are ready! They include supplies for Halloween Themed activities, a book of Madlibs, and plenty of treats. ... Kits are designed for two kids; if you have more you’ll want a second kit (or if you want some of the candy for yourself...) They are $25 each and all proceeds are going to charity. Supplies are limited, so you’ll want to come and grab your soon before they make like a , and disappear!

Oh my goodness! We’ve got doughnuts today!!! Things in the bakery have finally stabilized so we had some time to play today. We made our much loved Apple Cider doughnuts as well as some Chocolate Glazed doughnuts (you see the monsters on top and vampires). And we’ve got lots of Honeycrisp and we pressed cider this week, so we are restocked with plenty of that golden nectar.... I hope to see you out this weekend! We’re open Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm

We are so grateful for this fall. So many of our customers have been friendly and respectful, helping us keep Saugeen Shore Covid-safe! We see all the smiling eyes behind the masks We are also grateful for our team, who’ve worked tirelessly, adapting to changing needs and conditions and plans. Let’s just say, we’ve been trying not to use the word Pivot, but, we’ve certainly had some twists and turns to navigate in these unprecedented times (More squares for your Covid... Bingo) But, there are two team members we need to call out. Our bakery team cannot work any harder, but there are two members who just aren’t pulling their weight. So we’d love you to weigh in: comment below and help us determine who’s the weakest link: The oven Or The freezer

What an absolutely perfect fall day. It wouldn’t be better in a Month of Sunday’s! And, for those who are looking for an interesting outdoor experience this evening, we are co-hosting outdoor yoga in the Pumpkin Patch tonight with @BeYou Yoga + Wellness. From 6pm to 7pm in the patch! Get your happy baby on, and then savasana your way into the evening sunset! Crow pose is also welcome to keep them away from the apples

A well stocked bakery display is a thing of beauty! We’ve got Galas, Mac’s and Honeycrisp apples, as well as Pies, Apple Crisp, Butter tarts, and our much loved Apple-Cheddar biscuits. I hope to see you out today!

Halloween at home activities! Since we can’t run our usual Halloween fundraiser, we’ve come up with a Halloween At Home opportunity. It includes: Multiple Halloween Themed Activies (with all the supplies included)... A book of Halloween themed Madlibs (either a junior version for the younger crowd or one prepared for older kids) 6 special bags that are each filled with treats (I.e like visiting 6 generous homes, but sadly, not the one that gives out whole chocolate bars or cans of pop) you will get a decent haul of treats! Each kit is $25, with the proceeds of sale being donated to Caitlyn Cobeen’s Community Crusaders, and WES for Youth. Each kit is designed to be an ideal amount of candy and activists for two kids. Supplies are limited. We are waiting on one more ingredient before we can announce when they will be ready for pick up/available in store. If you’d like to reserve a kit or two, you can PM us. And, all reservations done before Monday October 26 will have your name put into a draw for one of our Giant pumpkins (they are about 40-50 lbs, so you’ll want to be sure you can lift and move it).

Thanks 98 The Beach for having us this today! It was great fun to chat with Brian this morning. Katie hadn’t had her morning coffee, and mine was thankfully kicking in so we could keep up the radio flow And here’s a photo of us, during a song break, physically distanced...... Don’t worry, Katie and I are still talking to each other See more

Happy Wednesday Cider Day everyone. It’s a happy but busy day here as we press our second batch of apple cider for the season. Come on out today to see the cider press in action and there will be fresh apple cider in store starting tomorrow. We’re open everyday 10-5 until October 31st, and open til 7pm on Fridays. Photo is of the apple cider press.

Some days just don’t go as planned. Today we planned to post about how to store apples so you can enjoy fresh apples well into the winter, but we got pulled in different directions and didn’t get it done. So instead we’ll simply post this teaser photo of Halloween candy, toilet paper, and some spooky cups with the message of Halloween Related Excitement Announcement Coming Soon and a reminder that we have lots of fantastic fresh picked Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy and Jonagold Apples. The cider press is coming this week, and we are getting caught up in the bakery so we’ll have lots of baking available all week long and will have frozen baked goods available too.

Honeycrisp grow in different sizes. We’ve got some beautiful big apples this year and we also have some attractive little ones too. Every year we have people asking for either: some love them small (because they can’t eat a whole pound of apple in one sitting), and others who love the challenge. Isn’t it great that we have apples for all kinds of people So, for those who’ve been anxiously waitingwe have our Honeycrisp in store. (In store only, as we don’t do PYO Honeycrisp).... And, since we aren’t selling them loose this year (COVID), what we are doing with our smallest bags is making sure they are consistent sizes so you can get exactly what you want, small or big or medium sized (I’m a fan of Goldilocks apples: not too big and not too small). One bag needs only 4 apples to reach 2.5 lbs, while another had 9 apples. We’re trying to be consistent with the bigger bags too, but that’s a little harder to pack as quick as they are selling (no, that’s not to say we’re running out, we’ve got a good crop this year; just to say we’re run off our feet to keep up with the packing since Saturday ). And, starting tomorrow, Honeycrisp will be available for purchase through our web store for pick-up.

Happy Terry Fox Run Day everyone. We had the pleasure of hosting some of my personal favourite Terry’s Teammates for their Covid Safe Terry Fox Walk. My family has benefited so much from the incredible cancer research supported by organizations like the Terry Fox Foundation. One generation ago the life expectancy on one side of my family was 40 years... the incredible survivors and previvors who I have the pleasure of calling my cousins are working hard to move that number up...ward day by day (love you all so much) with the help of ever advancing treatments and screenings. We were so happy to be able to donate a portion of every Outback Ticket Sale this weekend to the Terry Fox Foundation ($750 in total), so they can keep up the great work for all the families out there like mine who have cancer in the family. Oh and yes we are open daily 10-5, but we are all very tired so please be kind this week, we might be off to a slow start in the mornings ;) See more

Wow, just wow. What a day. We have never before hit capacity and today we did. A huge thank you to everyone for your patience and kindness today, and a huge shout out to our staff (many of whom today was their 5th shift) for keeping things working smoothly. For everyone planning visits I wish I could say when the least busy times are for you to come but it schists every day so we never know. All that to say, thanks to everyone.

The cider press is set up and running. We are pressing beautiful fresh apple cider today. We also have beautiful Royal Gala and McIntosh apples for PYO and in store.