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Nova Scotia Farmers Markets

Nova Scotia Farmers Markets

Many people move to Nova Scotia hoping for a slower pace of life. One of the things people often want to do is slow down and take the time to prepare fresh fruit, vegetables, and local meat. Shopping at local farmers’ markets where you can talk to and build relationships with the local vendors is a lovely part of living here.

Nova Scotia actually has the most farmers’ markets per capita! There are more than 40 certified Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia located throughout the province. You can use the interactive online map here, download and print one yourself, or ask for a copy at your local Visitor Information Centre.

Annapolis Royal Farmers Market

As a resident of the Annapolis Valley, there are a few farmers’ markets in my usual rotation. The Annapolis Royal Farmers Market, operating outdoors on Saturday mornings throughout the summer and early fall, is a very popular market. The Wolfville Farmers’ Market offers three different experiences: a year-round Saturday market, an online store WFM2GO with twice weekly deliveries, and a Farm and Art Market Store.

Annapolis Royal Farmers Market

There are also a number of smaller, unofficial farmers’ markets happening throughout the province. I sometimes swing by the Macdonald Museum Market in Middleton on Thursday afternoons, which typically has vendors selling a mix of fresh food, locally-made products, and artisan wares.  

Want to get your hands dirty? You can always head out to a U-Pick! Check out this list of U-Picks in the Annapolis Valley.

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Annapolis Valley U-Picks

Annapolis Valley U-Pick

One of the best things about living in Nova Scotia is the easy access to fresh, local, fruits and vegetables during the summer months. Sometimes though, buying your fresh fruit and veg from the many farm market stands or hundreds and hundreds of end-of-driveway market tables just isn’t enough. If you feel the urge to get out to the fields and pick your own blueberries, strawberries, beans, corn, and more, I’ve compiled a list of my favourite Annapolis Valley U-picks.

Dempsey Corner Orchard in Aylesford is our family’s absolute favourite Annapolis Valley U-Picks. They offer fruits and vegetables including squash, pumpkin, corn, potatoes, carrots, onions, and beets. There’s a small farm-themed playground and petting zoo with goats and other farm animals, and there are often kittens playing about. A bakery, tea room, and retail area are onsite, and during special events, they have scavenger hunts, wagon rides, and more.

Noggins Corner Farm in Greenwich is a mixed farm operation that includes a variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables, a dairy, a bustling year-round farm market, and a corn maze.

Spurr Brothers Farms in Melvern Square, near Kingston offers limited berry U-pick, and a fantastic market store. Check their Facebook page before you go to ensure they’re allowing picking.

Blue Ridge Farms outside Berwick offers blueberry U-pick each August.

Morse’s Farm in Berwick offers strawberry U-pick, and a small market with veggies they’ve picked and packed. Check their Facebook page before you visit.

Kennie’s Farm in North Kentville offers U-pick strawberries, beans, peas, and more.

Vital Berry Farms (also known as My Country Magic or Blueberry Acres) in Centreville offers U-pick berries and tomatoes.

Boates Farm in Woodville offers apple and pear U-pick in the fall. Follow them on Facebook for updates.

Arirang Farm in Port Williams offers no spray blueberry U-picking in August.

Make a day of it – visit a U-Pick and one of these popular Annapolis Valley festivals.

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Raise a family in Annapolis Valley

Kids at the beach

Are you thinking of moving to Nova Scotia, and wondering if the Annapolis Valley is a good place to raise a family? In 2017 my wife and I moved to the Annapolis Valley with our then 10, 7, and 6-year-old children, and we’re so happy we did. Here are some of the reasons we love raising our kids in the Annapolis Valley.

Close to nature

We traded in our tiny city suburban backyard for a beach, lake, and forest. But even if you’re moving into one of the towns in the Annapolis Valley, you’ll likely still find nature is much closer than it is where you’re living now. When we lived in Alberta, the closest public beach was a 90-minute drive away, and the ocean was a full province away! Now we spend a lot of spring, summer, and fall hiking and enjoying the hundreds of beaches Nova Scotia has to offer. Because we bought a rural property, we can raise chickens, grow a huge garden, and feel like we’re on vacation as soon as we pull up to the house. The kids get hands-on experience with growing their own food, and their new peer group is also more familiar with this kind of lifestyle. Many of the kids they now socialize with have chickens, barn cats, or horses, and raise animals for food.

A slower pace of life

People often say they want to move to Nova Scotia for a “slower pace of life.” But what does that actually mean? For some, it means enrolling the kids in fewer structured activities and enjoying more leisurely pursuits, such as family board games, fishing, or just spending time together at the waterfront or around a campfire. If you move to a rural part of Nova Scotia to raise a family in the Annapolis Valley, it’s not as easy to access elite-level sports or academics. For instance, many smaller schools don’t offer AP or IB classes in person but do offer them virtually, and clubs like Debate or Coding may not be available at all. Stepping out of the elite level of these pursuits and enjoying them more recreationally might be the right move for your family.

Fewer commercialized activities

There are so many free or inexpensive events and activities in the Annapolis Valley, and the focus is less on attending large-scale, costly events or facilities. When you have to drive an hour to the nearest indoor trampoline park, or 45 minutes to the McDonalds, you just don’t go as often! Instead, you can take in a festival, sign up for a free class with groups like Annapolis Valley Folk School, or visit one of the many beaches, parks, playgrounds, orchards, or farms in the area.

Do you want to learn more about what each of the smaller towns and communities has to offer? Visit my relocation website, MovetotheAnnapolisValley.ca, to find information on places like Berwick, Kingston, Paradise, and more.

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Raising chickens in Nova Scotia

backyard chickens

Is part of your moving to Nova Scotia dream raising chickens for fresh eggs? Walking out to the coop in the morning to pull a fresh egg out from under a happy chicken is a special delight that doesn’t get old (though cleaning the coop in the dead of winter isn’t as pleasant).

Whether you want a tiny coop with two or three hens, or a larger barn with free-range chickens, here are a few things you should know.

Understanding regulations

In most counties, including suburban and rural areas of the Halifax region, a small number of egg-laying hens are allowed. In some counties, you can have roosters too, or chickens in larger numbers.

If you have your heart set on raising backyard chickens in Nova Scotia, make sure they’re permitted in the area you’re considering buying in. I recommend you contact the local municipal office for specific zoning regulations.

Learning how to raise chickens

Spend time researching what chickens need before you start building the coop. There’s a ton of great information on Backyard Chickens, as well as in the Facebook group Maritime Fowl. Understanding what they need in terms of space requirements, how to protect them from weather, what to feed them, and how to care for them if they’re injured is important.

Building a chicken coop

Chicken coops can be small or huge, simple or elaborate. You might want to have a covered run or let them free-range. These decisions are quite personal and will depend on things like how large your property is, how far from the road or house your coop is, and how much you want to spend.

Where to buy chickens in Nova Scotia

You can buy different breeds of chickens from most of the feed stores in the spring. You’ll need to order them in advance, and pick them up on a specific day in a time window.

You can buy chicks (sexed or unsexed), or pullets, which are just older chickens closer to laying age. Chickens can live for 10-12 years, though their egg production slows down as they age. Also, in rural areas, many people raise specific breeds of chicken and you can buy them privately, or attend a poultry sale.

When buying chicks, you will need to raise them with a heat lamp in a brooder box, and give them special attention until they’re a few months old and more hardy.

Raising backyard chickens can be rewarding and fun, especially if you raise them from chicks!

© 2024 Keith Kucharski, RE/MAX REALTOR®. All rights reserved.