U-Pick Perhaps the…read morebiggest draw of visiting a farm is to take full advantage of the freshest produce on the market. At Willowbank U-Pick they offer a fantastic selection of apples, pears, plums and pumpkins in the months of September and October. Bring the family and spend the afternoon amongst the orchards and fields hand picking the perfect ingredients for pies, crumbles and cobblers. Animals: No farm is complete without the animals. Willowbank Farm has many animals - from their friendly family dogs to grazing cattle and everything in between. The kids (and kids at heart) will love spending time in the petting zoo. Here you can handle and pet chickens, goats, and miniature donkeys. Next to the petting zoo is a horse training ring where you can watch riders jump over fences and speed around turns on some of the most well cared for horses in the Annapolis valley. Market: If rummaging through trees of apples isn't your thing - and you're still craving the farm fresh vegetables, you are in luck. Alongside the U-Pick section, the farm offers a market right on site. You can pick from a variety of locally grown items to take home and put in stews, soups or alongside of your favourite meal.

If you want to find the best Apple Upick, look no further. I love coming here to get my apples and…read moremy Halloween pumpkins! You can go pick your own, any size you want! There are even Farm Animals for you to hang out with. This makes a perfect day trip for couples and Families!

Found in the heart of the Annapolis Valley, I dare you to find more delicious apple juice and my…read morevery favorite thing in the world...their Balsamic Apple Cider Vinegar. My suggestion though.. pick some up whenever you do get to see some...they're hard to come by. I also love that they're at the Halifax Saturday Farmers Market all year. Unfortunately, it's December and they didn't have any balsamic vinegar with them at the market this week. Perhaps I can find some at Pete's Frootique...cross your fingers.

I love this little gem! They sell fresh local produce, baked goods & ice cream, in addition to…read morehaving a boutique country store with a separate entrance, which I'll sadly admit I've never been inside of. Call ahead of you're looking for something specific, and leave your name and number to be called if they're out. They'll even sell the ice cream pails for planters if you ask! Great little local store!

This place is a gem! A wonderful shop with excellent produce, lovely jams and beautiful flowers in…read morethe back! The lady who helped me was so nice too. I bought a 20 lb bag of Macintosh apples at a great price. Go there, you will be glad you did! You can find them on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/GladGardens They also have their own website. http://www.gladgardens.ca/home.html

This place is a wonderful spot to drop in! My friend was looking for a particular plant, which they…read morenot only had, but had advice on planting and care! I ended up buying 2 perennials that are well kept and beautiful. Lots of great advice, smiles and peaceful surroundings. You won't be sorry you stopped:)

This past weekend I went to Ironwood Farm's Pig In A Day event with Chris Velden and Rupert…read moreJannasch that was promoted on the Slow Food Nova Scotia site. The price was $25 for Slow Food members and $30 for guests. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never been to anything like this, but it was a seriously awesome time. There was a small group of us (~8 people) in an outbuilding on the farm, and Chris walked us through basic butchering of the pig, where different cuts come from, different uses for different parts, and of course talking quite a bit about the value of knowing where your food come from. Chris also showed us how to make cured meats like bacon and prosciutto, and of course sausages. The whole session took about 3-4 hours and was a really great opportunity to connect with a chef of his experience in such an intimate environment - not to mention the farmer who raised the pigs, Rupert! Rupert, was there throughout as well to talk about the challenges of farming today, and also the fun and satisfaction that can come from making good quality food locally. At one point Rupert talked about how the pigs he raised would play together in the field and run around and race him when he rode by on his four wheeler - you could tell that Rupert cares a lot about his livestock and their well-being, and you knew those pigs grew up happy. Snacks, cider and coffee were served throughout, and lunch was provided as well (Pork loin, roasted potatoes, roasted beets, sweet potato and carrot and some seriously amazing blueberry almond bars for dessert) everything (well maybe not the almonds) in the meal came from the farm, and was prepared by Chris and his wife.. and it was phenomenally good. Honestly the food was so good that I would have paid $30 just to eat there! I have to admit that for a long time I wasn't a pork fan - I always found it dry and flavourless - but that has everything to do with how the pigs are raised; you just aren't going to get excellent pork from the supermarket because in the world of mass meat production, the pigs are raised for quantity not quality. Rupert's pork is rich, flavourful, and worth every penny; the meat is so different that I can honestly say I never tasted pork until I had free range. I'm going to go next year and bring my daughter (who will be 3 next year), so she can "meet her meat" and understand where her food comes from. Parents need not worry, as unless your child is particularly sensitive, Pig In A Day isn't gruesome or scary in any way. Just a tip: Wear warm clothing and long underwear - it's chilly!

These people are amazing and the place was beautiful. The store employees were friendly and the…read moregardens were gorgeous.

This place is off the beaten path, there's not a lot of parking in the front, and if you're not…read morecareful; you might just drive past it! There is additional parking in the back though. There's a little shop to the left when you enter & that's where you buy your $5 admission to the garden. I recommend you do your garden stroll first before buying things so you can appreciate what they sell, but also so that you don't have to lug it around with you. It's a well mapped garden with lots of greenery and later in the summer they open a little cottage inside the garden serving rose and herbal mint chocolate ice cream. They also do high teas, but we were a week too early for their opening dates for that. The garden itself is thriving & there are so many nice places to take pictures while you stroll. I'd recommend bug spray & sunscreen depending on the weather. It's also good that they give you a map with your admission. The herb gardens are abundant and you can smell them as you walk. They actually have a section for wedding parties as well. Back in the shop is a great assortment of herbal jellies and liqueurs made from herbs harvested from the gardens. The ice creams are also available in there too, and washroom is upstairs where you pass by the workshop where they make the wooden packaging for the gift sets. The lady at the counter is absolutely wonderful, and great at recommending flavours as well as giving generous little samples on crackers. She even let us sample a hidden gem there which was blueberry balsamic vinegar, aged about 3 years which was quite lovely. As a tourist, this was a lovely experience & I'd highly recommend visiting!

I know I've written about Getaway Farm's awesome meat before, but it's worth noting that my…read morehusband...steak lover extraordinaire gave Getaway Farm a huge THUMBS UP! In fact, he often asks if I'm going to the market on Saturday, more importantly a visit to GF. His favorite so far...strip loin that just melts in your mouth. I love everything, from meat for stew, braised short ribs (hard to find British cut , long short ribs (Oxymoron, I know, but delicious none the less) http://recipesfrom4everykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/braised-beef-short-ribs-hunters-style.html . This week...the flank steak.

I wanted good chicken at short notice for a family picnic and asked a family member to pick up a…read morehalf-dozen each of legs, thighs and breasts at the Seaport Market. It came to $100! Cannot believe it. The breasts had a lot of back attached to them for which of course I paid premium price. Huge (older hens, I suppose) pieces. Crashingly disappointing.

Nova Scotia's first and largest cidery. Don't let the name fool you; they also make fruit wines!…read more While it may be a little bit off the beaten path for some folks, this location is worth visiting for sure. It's right off highway 12 and just a few kilometres outside of the town of New Ross. You can't miss it. They've got a brewpub in Halifax but this is better because you can talk with the alchemist behind the craft on site. The selection is just huge and you can sample whatever you want first before buying. The little retail hut is TINY but it does have three stools for sampling. There is literally something here for everyone. We like dry ciders and there are a lot of options. But there are also in between and even sweeter options. Lots of sweet fruit wine options as well for folks who haven't refined or figured out their palate yet, too. Definitely check this place out if you're heading up or down the highway!