Note: Stonehaven Farms closed in March 2023. Wishing the owners all the best in their future endeavours!
Happy Friday, all – I hope everyone is gearing up for a fun Thanksgiving weekend! Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays: it’s an important reminder to be grateful for all of the blessings we have, and to remember what’s truly important: our family, friends and the people we love. Of course, there’s another thing I love about Thanksgiving, and that’s the food! I love baking and cooking for the people I care about, so any excuse to get in the kitchen and whip up something special is one I get excited about. We’re going to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, and my mom – who’s a fabulous cook – is making a turkey with all the fixins. I do enjoy turkey, but for me, Thanksgiving is really all about the sides – I always look most forward to the stuffing every year! My contribution will be a pumpkin pie: I always use this pie crust recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and this simple recipe for the pie itself, which has never done me wrong. (Note that the pie crust recipe makes two crusts; I use one to line the pie plate and the other to make leaf-shaped cutouts, which I bake separately and use to decorate the top of the pie.) On Monday, we’re headed to Tania’s aunt’s house for yet another feast, and I’m making this garlic cheddar chive spoonbread – the ultimate comfort food; it is so easy to make and always a hit. I’m also going to be making this pumpkin pecan bread for people to snack on throughout the weekend – I’ve never made this before, so I’ll let you all know how it turns out!
While I love to bake, sometimes life gets in the way and there just isn’t the time to make homemade goodies from scratch. I actually wasn’t planning on baking anything for Thanksgiving this year, because Tania and I were supposed to be on vacation right now! Long story short, we made the decision to cancel our trip last week due to Hurricane Ian, but luckily we were able to rebook for a later date. However, if our initial plans hadn’t changed, we’d have been returning home right before Thanksgiving, and most definitely would have been picking something up. Luckily, we live close to so many amazing farm stores and local bakeries that sell delicious homemade treats. One of those is Stonehaven Farms, which we recently visited.
Stonehaven Farms is a pick-your-own fruit farm and market located in Campbellville, just north of Burlington and west of Milton. In the summer, they offer PYO strawberries and raspberries. When autumn rolls around, Stonehaven begins their fall festivities! In addition to a PYO pumpkin patch, visitors can bring their little ones to enjoy the six-acre corn maze, straw bale area, sandbox and wagon rides. We came to shop at the farm market, which sells farm-fresh produce, baked goods, apple cider, cheese, eggs, maple syrup, honey and preserves. The farm was all decked out in fall décor, and we saw many families enjoying the pumpkin patch and other fall activities.
The farm market sells homegrown pie pumpkins and gourds, perfect for decorating your home for the season or creating an eye-catching Thanksgiving centerpiece.
They also sell a variety of homemade preserves and spreads, including two of my favourite treats: pumpkin butter and apple butter!
It’s hard not to be tempted by all the freshly baked goods available at the market. Stonehaven sells pies, tarts and cookies in various flavours, and they’re all quite reasonably priced compared to other stores and farm markets I’ve visited. We ended up leaving with a box of pumpkin butter tarts and a jar of apple butter. The pumpkin butter tarts are so delicious – like miniature pumpkin pies. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and you’ve got the perfect fall dessert! I’ve been enjoying the apple butter on everything from toast to yogurt to oatmeal. It’s rich and tart with just a hint of sweetness, which makes it the ideal accompaniment for savoury snacks. I like to spread it on a cracker and top it with Brie cheese for a simple yet decadent treat!
Whether you’re looking for a pie to bring to Thanksgiving, a pumpkin to decorate your porch, or you’re simply craving a good butter tart, I highly recommend a trip to Stonehaven Farms! Keep up with them on Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date on their upcoming events.
What treat are you most looking forward to enjoying this Thanksgiving weekend?
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