New flower upick and farmstand open to everyone

This summer we have often heard customers say, “We miss the farm!” The truth is – we miss you, too! We miss seeing all our farm friends every week, enjoying what’s in season together, sharing smiles, recipes and stories.

By the end of last season, the realities of running a very labor-intensive farm business were stark, though. We knew our farm would need to change, in order to be more sustainable for our bodies, our family and our farm friends in the long run. This season, we have reduced our growing fields and concentrated on making the farm very efficient. Bree accepted a full-time position at Niagara County Community College in April and Rich is still a part-time educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension through 2022.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for sticking with us this season as we’ve introduced new ways to provide our community with fresh veggies, such as online orders, stocking our fridge at Terroir General Store and, of course the fabulous Garden Plant Sale back in May.  

Last Fall, Rich had the idea for a flower u-pick. It sounded like a fabulous idea. We all collectively loved and enjoyed the CSA flower u-pick gardens every year – they bring such colorful joy! So, finally, we get to open this beautiful little flower garden to everyone!

The flower upick garden has:

• Open hours on Thursday evenings, 4-7pm, and Saturday mornings, 9am-12 noon
• Two dozen types of flowers that bloom abundantly in a rainbow of different colors, from familiar favorites to exotic showstoppers
• Fresh veggie farmstand on Saturday mornings
• Two sizes of cups. No need to count stems
• A discount for flower pickers who re-use their cups
• Complimentary flower food, water, wrap, stickers and ribbons
• Certified Naturally Grown – it means absolutely no synthetic pesticides or herbicides are applied and organic seeds and compost are used.
• Picturesque views of a working family farm on a historic property
• All are welcome. Please help us spread the word!

Initial feedback has been great! We get to see our farm friends again. People say they enjoy spending time in the peaceful flower garden. And people enjoy being able to choose the veggies they want each week, too. It is a peaceful time to reconnect with nature and help support a local family farm.  

We guarantee that everything is pesticide free, organic and Certified Naturally Grown on our farm. Absolutely no synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides or herbicides or fertilizers are used that may be harmful to humans, birds, bees, and other pollinators.

How It Works

We provide the cups in two sizes. You just cut and fill your cup, no need to keep count of the stems. TIP: Strip the bottom leaves so that you can fit more stems in your cup! There are plenty of blooms for everyone to enjoy.

We provide scissors, both lefties and righties. You are welcome to bring your own snips, that might work on the larger sunflowers.

• Remember your sunglasses, drinking water, sunscreen to help make your time outside enjoyable.
• Wear gloves if the scratchy plant stems tend to irritate your skin.
• Please leave your pets at home. (Ours get jealous!)

Children are welcome! It’s a great kids and family activity! Please supervise them at all times, this is a working farm. 

Tips for Keeping Your Farm Flowers Fresh

• Take them out of the hot car as soon as you can. Keeping flowers cool will reduce ‘field heat’ that they soaked up while in the field. Cool flowers last longer in the vase.
• Start with a clean vase or jar. Bacteria in the vase is the leading cause of quickly wilting cut flowers.
• Cut stems at a 45 degree angle before putting them in the vase. Helps the stem take up water.
• Remove any leaves that are below the water line. This helps keep the water cleaner.
• Change the vase water every 3 days. Clean water helps reduce bacteria build up and keeps your flowers fresh for longer.
• Avoid putting them in direct sunlight. Heat and direct light will wilt those fragile petals. Indirect light is the best way to enjoy cut flowers.

Enjoy your bouquets for 1-2 weeks!

How long will we be open?

We say ‘from now until first frost.’ Who knows when that will be? Our goal is to stay open until  September 24 for you to enjoy our flower u-pick and farmstand. We look forward to seeing you at the farm this season!

Want to Book a Private Picking Party?

We welcome private flower picking for your group of 5 or more! You can book a private pick on Thursdays and Fridays through September 23. Email us at mccollumorchards@gmail.com to arrange your private picking party.

Dear Farm Friends,

We want to tell you about some important changes for McCollum Orchards this year.  

As always, we are deeply committed to offering you fresh Certified Naturally Grown produce, tasty local farm goods, and opportunities to visit your farm oasis.

However, due to the uncertainties of this pandemic, it is not feasible for us to offer Community Supported Agriculture farm shares in 2022.

Our answer is to innovate. All our changes have germinated from your feedback about what you enjoy most here at McCollum Orchards.

First, you can get fresh produce and local farm goods through our Online Farm Store. The online farm store has proven to be very popular and super convenient over the last few months!

Our online farm store is as easy as our pre-mixed salad. You will receive our farm email newsletter with the online farm store link, farm photos and yummy seasonal recipes. You can purchase from that week’s fresh fruits and vegetables through the easy online checkout.

With the online farm store, you can order based on your schedule and you can choose your pick-up day and location. As soon as crops are ready to harvest, they’ll be available for you!

For those of you who did the $1 CSA renewal in the Fall (thank you!), we will either credit you on the online farm store or refund your dollar.

We are really excited about our next innovation. This year we are growing the u-pick experience here at McCollum Orchards.

The gardens will still be full of flowers, herbs, cherry tomatoes and beans, and we’re adding exciting new varieties. Over the years, we have seen how much you have enjoyed the u-pick gardens with friends and family, or as solo time.

The u-pick gardens will be a fun place for you to enjoy during pre-set open farm hours. Once the flowers start to bloom, the u-pick gardens will open with cutting hours, and even Sunset Picks, Brunch Picks, and Farm Tours.

We have always envisioned McCollum Orchards as a working historic farm where visitors enjoy the farm’s natural beauty and bounty. Your support over the last eight years is why we can keep moving forward. We are already deep into seed catalogs, spring greenhouse calendars and summer field designs.

This special place connects all of us to our shared local history and lets us feel the awe and the calm of a natural oasis in our city.

We warmly invite you to join us in this next season of growth and abundance!

We’ll be in touch with you soon!

Warmly, Rich & Bree Woodbridge

In September, we are thrilled to team up with Shamus Restaurant for another Farm to Table Dinner! It is September 15 and tickets go on sale on August 15! Available on www.eventbrite.com. They went fast last year. We would love to have you join us for an unforgettable and delicious evening on our farm.

The multi-course meal, created by the talented people at Shamus Restaurant, will highlight the high quality, seasonality and bounty of the special Niagara Region that we are blessed to call home. The entire feast is sourced locally, from within 10 miles. The courses are paired with locally produced wine and beer.

We promise a memorable night enjoying delicious food, wine, beer and great company all on this bucolic historic farm setting.