On a grey Saturday morning, with travel mugs perched in their cup holders, my friend Kristen of "with bite" drove Highway 101 from Halifax to Wolfville. Valley girls, for the day. Before passing by Domaine de Grand Pré and the beautiful Victorian homes just outside Wolfville, we made a pit stop at Just Us! Coffee Roasters for a re-fill. This coffee is my fav and there is always a bag in my cupboard.
The Wolfville Farmers' Market is pretty easy to find. Just follow the smells, the live music or anybody carrying canvas shopping bags. 
This is a market where fresh produce doesn't have to travel far. It is, after all, the Annapolis Valley, where those apples were picked in an orchard just down the road.
Last week, the Info Booth's featured item of the week was fennel. Fennel was just starting it's first week in season and samples of fresh fennel vichyssoise were available to taste. You could pick up a copy of fennel recipes with an ingredient checklist of items available right there at the market. Clever thinking. 
After chowing down in one of the yummy cookies pictured above, Kristen and I watched Chef Michael Howell prepare a fabulous drink called Raspberry Lime Rickey (lime simple syrup, raspberry puree and soda water). You see, raspberries were also in season and a u-pick had recently opened nearby.
I was on a quest to find lavender jelly (August 2008 blog post on The Right Coast NS) since I was down to my last teaspoon but was told the ladies weren't there that week. Kristen started her Christmas shopping at a jewelery booth.
Next, it was time for these two valley girls to find a strawberry u-pick. That blog post is coming up next.
For more information:
- Wolfville Farmers' Market
- Find them on Facebook
- See more Farmers Market photos on The Right Coast NS' Flickr page
About Wolfville: Wolfville is the first fair trade town in Canada. The town is separated from the Minas Basin (part of the Bay of Fundy) by agricultural dykes which were built by Acadians in the 17th century. Wolfville Harbour is the smallest harbour in the world. It's the home of Acadia University. Go Axemen! (That was tough for me to type because I went to St. F.X.)
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Yes, at this time of year we curse the ice and snow but before you reach for that shovel and ice pick, discover the beauty in the white stuff. Take a picture of it. Get close-up, and zoom in on an icicle. 
year. Near Kentville, this community comes alive with eagle watchers. There are lots of viewing areas so bring your camera a knock off items #1 and #2 from this list. 
do good 
a Scotia 
Caution: Dog lovers may experience some dog envy. 
In September, 2003, Point Pleasant Park was devastated by Hurricane Juan. Nearly three quarters of the park's trees were knocked down and the park remained closed until June 2004. While there are still trees remaining, the park now has a very thin canopy. In some areas where you couldn't see the ocean, now you can. However, in June 2008 over 70,000 Acadian forest trees have been planted in the park, surpassing the number of trees lost to Hurricane Juan.
The last girls weekend was no different. We checked into our chalet on a Friday afternoon. Cocooned from the -23C temperatures outside. The next morning, we sat next to the warmth of the fireplace, sipped coffee and watched sea smoke billowing beside Oak Island, located off in the distance in Mahone Bay. You know it's darn cold when there's sea smoke. This picture was taken from a chair in our living room. 
Now the gates to Taylor Head park are now open until December. Thanks to the efforts of eleven people back in 2007, the Friends of Taylor Head Provincial Park was officially formed as a non-profit society in 2008. 
After about 15 minutes, here is the end product. I quickly moved on to finish the other three wreaths and then started looking around my fathers garage. I was on a roll. Interestingly enough, my father is sweet on collecting rope. Eureka! I made three more wreaths made from rope that, at one time, was tied to lobster traps. To me, this only adds more character. 
On a foggy day in Cape Breton, my family and I stepped back in time to the year 1744. Actually, we drove there - to Louisbourg. After parking the car we went to the Parks Canada info centre where we jumped on a bus that took us to the largest re-constructed 18th century town in North America. Our curiosity was piqued on the bus ride for what was beyond the fog and then the town slowly appeared into view. 
Every year, my family and I make a visit to Annapolis Royal. First thing on Saturday morning I head over to the Farmer's Market. It's an open air market that is bursting with the smells, sights and sounds of the Annapolis Valley. For a few locals it's a weekly social gathering, for others it's a plethora of local produce and fresh baked goods that can easily stir you to dizzying heights. 
So here we were driving along outside Cheticamp, glancing back once in awhile to say good-bye to the mountains in the distance when out of the blue, we see scarecrows. Lots of them. They were hilarious! We actually had to turn around because they demanded our attention.
The place was Joe's Scarecrows just 10 minutes outside Cheticamp in a community called St-Joseph-du-Moine. Here you can meet members of the royal family, political figures, music stars etc. They all are dressed up with a caption written on a piece of cardboard that introduces who they are and their name.
There is a table with a donation box set up so you could help the owners dress for next year. Nearby you can buy a burger, fish & chips, meat pies, ice-cream and home made pastries. 
