Well, the time is approaching quickly.

I will be closing the Stand on Remembrance Day, and from now until then it will be open from 9am to 5pm, every day.

So this is your final warning to stock up on Garlic, Squash, Pickles and Jams!

I will be opening again in March, close to the same weekend as the Bradner Flower Show.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your business!  It has been the most amazing year!  This was only my second full year in business, and I feel that it has been much more successful than the first year!

Some great ideas are already in play for next year, so as we get closer to that time, I will start blogging again and let you know what's happening and when!

So, again, thank you for your business - and I look forward to growing some fabulous food and flowers for you next year!

Cheers!
Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road,
Abbotsford, BC  V4X 2P3  in Beautiful Bradner!
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca

Hello Everyone!

I apologize for not blogging, I actually forgot! Ooops!  I've been so busy Fall Cleaning outside and in the greenhouse, and in the barn, that I totally lost track of time.

This has been a crazy couple of weeks of weather, BUT, in between rain storms and incredible winds I'm actually getting a lot accomplished: managed to dig out ALL the Dahlia and Gladiola bulbs ( thanks in big part to my father-in-law Tom!!  Thanks Dad!! ).  We have them drying in the barn right now, with a lovely fan blowing on them - hahhaha - will probably put them all into storage in a week or so, for the Winter.  They all doubled in size, so I'll have lots of bulbs for sale come Spring! Yayy!!  I also managed to transplant 4 holly trees, and planted 60 cedar hedging trees on Tuesday - trying to make a type of barrier between our property, and next door ( with my neighbour's blessing! ).

I have decided to keep the Stand open until the middle of November or so, as I still have a lot of Garlic & Squash to sell - so if you need to stock up, come soon.  I also have quite a few perennials left, potted, so come soon to plant now for Spring colour!

We had an amazingly productive field this year, with a bounty of everything - I want you to know that I'm not just selling it all here on the farm, or selling to Lepp Farm Market, and Hamilton Farms - I have made a point in also donating to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen, and the Food Bank here in Abbotsford.  We are so fortunate to have this amazing property to grow fabulous food on, so I want to give back to the community somehow, and this is how I do it. :)

Pumpkins are at a premium, and I only have about 30 left, but still lots of Gourds and minis - I have reduced their prices to clear them out, so come take a look if you haven't already got yours for Halloween!

I'm writing this blog today, after hearing about the tragedy in Ottawa yesterday.  Our youngest daughter is living and going to school in Toronto right now, and phoned me today, and she is feeling very uneasy about living in such a large city.  We talked for a while, and I hope that she will feel more sure soon, but I totally understand where she's coming from.  Our country, and our world changed yesterday.  I guess what I want to say is..........make someone happy today, and tomorrow, and every day going forward - a simple thing like a smile, and a "good morning", or buy someone you don't know in the drive through a coffee.  You don't know what others are going through, and maybe a random act of kindness will change their day, and their outlook.  Just a thought.  I hope next time I'm at Tim Horton's driving through to get a coffee, you're in the car behind me, and I buy YOU a coffee!

Thanks again for your business!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Cheers!
Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road,  Abbotsford, BC  V4X2P3
in Beautiful Bradner!
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca

The rains are coming!  The rains are coming!

We've had the most amazing Fall again this year, but that is about to change.  Now is the perfect time to put in the last minute flowering shrubs for next year's Spring Colour!  The ground is still warm, and with all the rain about to hit us, you won't have to water at all.   I have Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, Lilacs 3 - 5 gallon sizes for only $10.00 each.  I have 5 gallon or bigger Vine Maples for only $20.00 each.  Lots of 1 gallon sized perennials: Echinacea, Shasta Daisy, Crocosmia, Ornamental grasses, Lily of the Valley and more for only $2.00 each.   

With Thanksgiving this coming weekend, I would like to take this opportunity to Thank each and every one of you for your business.  I have surpassed my expectations for 'Year Two', and now really look forward to next year.  Already in the planning stages of what to grow next year - hahahhaa!

Fall is my favourite time of year, with all the warm colours now erupting from our plants - it just makes me happy to see the plants change into Autumn Beauty, and ready themselves for Winter.

This is one of my all time favourite plants.  It's called Virginia Creeper.  Not as invasive as an Ivy, but loves to climb and spread.......but in the Fall, you get this deep, rich red and burgundy!  I have this growing on the side of my house where the garage is.  I just love it!  If you need something fabulous to cover an old barn, or any building you might like to hide, this will do it, and then you too can enjoy the beautiful colours it brings in Fall!

With Fall, also comes a bounty of vegetables, like these fabulous Tomatoes!  I have tons, so if you're thinking of making salsa, or canning tomatoes for the Winter, let me know and I'll put some aside for you!  Maybe just a really amazing Tomatoe Salad with fresh basil and GOOD mozzarella with a drizzle of balsamic glaze?  Or how about a BLT, every day for lunch! YUM!

I was looking through Pinterest the other day and found this amazing quote......thought I would share it with you:

Why try and explain miracles to your kids, when you can just have them plant a garden. - Robert Brault

I love this quote!  It is so true - gardening is the most rewarding, and sometimes frustrating thing!  I knew in my heart that because I enjoyed gardening so much, that doing it as a side business would work for me.  Yes, it is challenging at times, and exhausting, but I love it!  Watching things grow from little tiny seeds, is an absolute miracle!

It's not too late to pick up a pumpkin or two for your Thanksgiving Table!  Come soon for the best selection!  I monogrammed the mini white pumpkins instead of name tags for our Thanksgiving Table, then all the guests can take them home afterward!  I have lots of mini whites left - it's not too late! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  May God Bless you and your family!

Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road,
Abbotsford, BC   in Beautiful Bradner
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca 

Good Day Everyone!

With a little rain, returns all those stupid weeds - I'm sure if you have a garden ( or many like I do ), you've been fighting this battle all Summer, and just when you think it's all under control, a little rain reminds you that you don't have control at all!  AH!!!!  Back to the drawing board!

Pumpkin Sales are fast & furious right now, and I will be out of Large Orange Pumpkins soon.  I still have quite a few Medium Oranges - so hurry while they last!  I've had a few people order theirs via email or text, which I love!!  So if you want to do that as well, please contact me soon! :)

Here's two of the photos sent in by Sumeuy!  Thanks Sumeuy!!

The tomatoes are now ripening fast, so come get yours soon!  If you'd like a few pounds maybe to make your own Salsa, or canned tomatoes, let me know and I'll set that aside for you!

I just finished making my Red Onion Marmalade on the weekend, using my own grown red onions - YUM! - now available in the Stand at $4.00 per jar!  This is a wonderful little treat for cheese & crackers and of course WINE!  Would be great on burgers and hotdogs too, but it might be a little too sophisticated for that hahaha

Spent most of Sunday, prepping the field for planting Garlic!  Got it done before it rained, so I'm happy with that.  Lots of Red Russian again this year, but have 5 other varieties in the works as well.  A few of them will just be for planting stock for the following year, but I will have some Porcelain White Garlic available next Summer for purchase.  I will also be having Planting Stock available next Summer - so if you're interested in trying your hand at Garlic - you can order some next year!

I will also have Dahlia Tubers for sale in the Spring, but if you're interested in what they look like now, call me to view them all in full bloom in the field.  I can take your order, and have them ready for you in the Spring!

See you soon!
Mandy
28875 Haverman Road
Abbotsford, BC  V4X 2P3 
in Beautiful Bradner, BC
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca

Hey Everyone!
I apologize for not blogging in the past 2 weeks - it's been a little crazy here on the farm, but things look better now.

Fall is definitely in the air, can you feel it?  It's getting a little cooler in the evenings, and the days are still a nice temperature.

With all the photos of the hundreds of pumpkins in my barn, I think I might be sold out before Halloween! hahahaha  Seriously, Devan Greenhouses bought most of my field, and I'm selling some every day at the Stand as well, so if you want awesome looking pumpkins at a really great price this year, please don't wait.  A lot of the pumpkins I have left are a little green still, which is good, because they will definitely last until Halloween.  Large only $3.00, Medium Orange & Whites $2.00, Birdhouse Gourds $ 1.50, and minis are only 75cents!  It's the first official day of Fall today, so don't wait to decorate!

Everything is winding down here on the farm, but I still have lots of produce:  Buttercup, Green Kobacha, and Spagetti Squashes, Onions, Garlic, Potatoes, Cabbage and Daikon Radish.  Nearing the end of Beets and Carrots.

The Stand will remain open until at least the first week of November, so come stock up!

Also: 1 Gallon Perennial Plant Sale going on now.  It's a great time to plant perennials in your Garden for next Spring & Summer colour!  Echinacea, Alstromaria (orange), Shasta Daisy, Ornamental Grasses, Lily of the Valley (White), two different sizes of misc Maple Trees, Crocosmia (Lucifer) and more!  Stock up now - only $2.00 per gallon pot.

Enjoy the cooler weather, and get your gardens cleaned up for Winter!
See you all soon!
Cheers!
Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road
in beautiful Bradner, BC
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca

Did you hear that it snowed in Calgary today? Bahahahahaha
Our extended Summer weather has been amazing, but I have to admit, the cooler, damper mornings, warm days, and cooler evenings are absolutely my favourite part of the beginning of Fall!  Love the change of colours, and the smells in the air, and the bounty of harvest available now!

This is a precious little girl that visited my farm to pick out her pumpkin last year - I look forward to seeing her again this Fall.

And this little sweetie-pie just visited me last weekend, and picked out her special pumpkin!  I love the children that come here!  Their reactions to my little stand and all the goodies in it make this all worth while!  I REALLY look forward to having my own grandkids come and do the same thing, but until then, I love all your children and grandchildren that come to see me and my farm!  No, that's not a 'dig' to my daughters, but I do look forward to being a Grandma someday! :) XO

I can't believe that it's September already!  Where did the Summer months go - seriously, it has just flown by!  We're definitely in Fall mode here on the farm with the onions, garlic, squashes and pumpkins ready to go!  I have a recipe for a Curried Squash Soup for you at the stand - you have to try it, so easy and absolutely delicious!

Hard to believe, but the time is coming soon when I will close the Stand for the Season.  It won't be until a week or two after Halloween, but it's coming up fast.  So stock up as we head closer to that date!  ( I have a feeling that I'll have Garlic & Squash to take all of us right into Winter, but will keep you in the know! )

Once again, I want to thank you all for supporting the Farm - it's truly rewarding when I receive so many compliments and amazing comments from so many people.  This year is definitely even busier than last year - who knows what next year will bring!  Thank you for your honesty and support of my endeavours!

Cheers!
Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road
Abbotsford, BC  ( In Beautiful Bradner )
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca

PS.  Don't forget about the Garage Sale at the Farm this coming Saturday, September 13th from 8am - 4pm - lots of goodies!

A sea of Pumpkins, taking all the floor space in my barn!  Fall is here my friends!

I am very excited to be partnering with Devan Greenhouses this year - they practically bought my entire field of pumpkins - so if you're shopping there, think of me hauling all those pumpkins out of the field! hahaha  Next year I'll be working closely with Devan and growing specifically for them - I am very excited!

It's definitely feeling like it's Fall these past few days, and everything is slowing down now in the field as well, but I still have a lot of produce to offer you: onions, garlic, green beans, squashes, tomatoes, apples, daikon radish, cabbage, beets, carrots and more!  Stop in soon to fill your freezers and fridges.  Now would be an awesome time to make huge recipes of Squash soup and freeze portions for those crazy busy days in the Winter!

Fall Sale on flowering Shrubs starting today!  Everything must go at crazy prices.  Need to make room for the next stage of Yakashiro Farm & Gardens!  I have lots of Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, Lilacs, Astilbe, Echinacea and Rhudbeckia - stop in and I'll put your name on the plants you want, and dig them and pot them a little later in the Season for you!

Garage Sale here on the farm - Saturday, September 13th from 8am - 4pm only.  Our younger two daughters have moved out, and don't need everything they had before, so we're selling everything, plus some things from me as well.  We have loveseats, storage cabinet, queen sized bed & boxspring (almost new), butcher block island on wheels for your small kitchen, and many household items.  Come on by and take a look!

AND, my BFF and her hubby are moving to Kelowna ( very sad to see them go, but excited for the next stage in their lives too! )  They are having a garage sale this weekend, and they have a lot of quality items.  Saturday, Sept 6th 8am - 4pm  3791 Murphy Street, in Abbotsford ( close to Remple's Meats ).

See you all soon!
Mandy
Yakashiro Farm & Gardens
28875 Haverman Road
in Beautiful Bradner, BC !
Cell# 604-556-1330
myakashiro@shaw.ca