If you’re traveling near Vancouver’s lower mainland, you should visit the Taves Family Farms Applebarn in Abbotsford, BC. They open for the season on August 17th with the addition of their newest attraction: The Sunflower Patch! The 1/4 acre field of sunflowers are expected to be in full bloom by early August.
If you’re looking for apples though, you have to wait for fall.
Fall in the Lower Mainland of BC is my favorite time of year. The days haven’t gotten too short yet, so there is plenty of time after school to be outdoors. The air is crisp and fresh without being uncomfortably cold. The colors of the fall leaves are nothing short of spectacular. Whenever anyone asks me for the best time to visit Vancouver, I don’t hesitate, it’s September.
Taves Family Farms Applebarn opens every year in mid-August and close up at the end of October. After they close you can still find their cold pressed cider in stores throughout the Lower Mainland.
“As summer starts to wane and autumn approaches, I become excited to harvest my favourite crops of the year–fall produce. I’ve spent the last 28 years picking apples and I never get tired of those sweet, crunchy Jonagolds along with the vibrant pumpkins that grow in abundance in the south lands of Abbotsford. The Applebarn has a magic that even casts a spell on me, and I am glad that the community around us feels it too. It’s the memories that have made the Applebarn a fall tradition.” ~ Loren Taves.
There are fun things for the kids to do including: pedal carts, bunny town, a Corn Quest Maze, pumpkin patch, farm animals in the petting barn, corn gun, pumpkin cannon, massive jumping pillows, hayrides, zipline, pony rides, and farm-fresh apple cider sampling.
I was really looking forward to going, but ended up flying to Palm Springs so my niece Ally, an aspiring photographer, went in my place. Here are her photos:
The kids had a great time, and left with two medium sugar pumpkins that I just finished roasting and pureeing. Offspring is begging my mom to bake some pumpkin cookies.
You can find Taves Family Farms Applebarn on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
