Farm Rules & FAQ
Rules
To ensure that each guest has a terrific experience at our farm we ask that you respect the following rules:1. All People in our Fields Must have a container and Must be Picking.
2. No outside Food permitted in our fields or play area during the Fall Season.
3. Our Farm is SMOKE free (including the parking lot)
4. Our Fruit is not free and we do not allow eating. Please Pick, Pay and then Enjoy! *for parents it's important to explain our policy to your kids. (Please see FAQ below for further details)
5. We encourage you to bring your own containers to pick into. If you forget, baskets can be purchased at the farm.
6. No Dogs or Pets Permitted.
FAQS
Q- "Why can’t I pick Asparagus?"Asparagus is picked early in the morning at 6am. We pick it systematically and carefully. In our experience too much damaged is caused to the plants when allowing guests to do the picking.
Q- "Do you have Skinny Asparagus?"
There are more than 20 varieties of asparagus grown in Ontario and many more grown around the world. Many old varieties were extremely skinny, as well as Chilean and Mexican asparagus. We've been growing asparagus for 30 years and we find that the larger stalks are much more flavorful, and nutritious. Once you try it you will never look back!
Q - "Can I sample the Fruit?"
A taste is fine. We don't mind customers trying a particular fruit to see if they like it, but eating is not permitted. Growing food is our livelihood. We can't give it away or have people taking fruit that hasn't been paid for.
Q- "Small Berries vs. Large Berries"
Many customers say I only want the large berries. You are missing out. Strawberries for example on average have the same amount of natural sugar. If a berry is small it can be much sweeter than a large berry. Also you'll find that by picking small, medium and large berries you're basket will fill much quicker.
Q- "Why Can’t I bring my dog?"
We love animals but yours may not like ours. We have more than 50 farm animals that do not need any outside stress such as a dog trying to get them.
Q- "How do I book the party room?"
If you're interested in the party room or booking a party consider your date and email birthdayparties@brooksfarms.com
Q - "Is the fruit sprayed? /is it Organic?"
No, we are not "organic". Unfortunately sometimes we need to use chemicals to prevent the loss of a crop. We have experiment with organic test plots but have been extremely disappointed as more than 50% of the crop either didn't develop fruit (mites, clipper weevil, etc.) or destroyed by mould. Growing fruits and vegetables in a warm and humid farm in southern Ontario, our pests, weeds and moulds are very aggressive. We use many tools to disrupt the cycle of pests such as mechanical weeding, use of beneficial insects, proper plant pruning, but sometimes a chemical treatment is necessary. We only apply pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides when the damage or potential damage is too great to ignore. Field scouts collect samples twice a week to evaluate how a crop is doing great or under threat. This is called an "Integrated Pest Management" system IPM which has reduced our chemical needs by half.
Q - "How much Fruit do I need to make Jam?"
Naturally it depends on the type of jam but a very good rough number is: 2 quarts of ripe fruit for 1 batch of the good stuff
Q- "Why do I have to pay for Baskets?"
We do not profit from selling baskets. We sell them (at cost) as a convenience item for those folk who have forgotten their own. If you choose to use a basket and it becomes stained we cannot sell that basket to another customer. The best way of avoiding the cost of a basket is to bring a basket from home or any household container. We'll weight it up and you can fill it to your heart's content!!
