WADDELL APPLES

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  • Home
  • Visit the Farm
    • Pick-Your-Own Apples
    • Schools & Groups >
      • Elementary or Daycare
      • Secondary or Post-Secondary
      • Team or Customer Appreciation
    • Farm Map
    • Nearby Attractions
  • Shop
    • Shop Online
    • Farm Store
    • Apple Varieties
    • Recipes
  • Our Story
    • Blog
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    • Your Reviews

Apple Bloggin'

Job Posting: Farm Store/Harvester

8/9/2019

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​Position: Farm Store/Harvester
Waddell Apples is looking for an energetic, outgoing and hard-working individual to work in our farm store and help with our 2019 harvest season. No experience required; will train.
We are a family-owned and operated apple farm in Kingston’s countryside, growing and selling apples, pumpkins and homemade specialties from our licensed on-farm bakery. Learn more about us at www.waddellapples.com
 
Responsibilities
  • Greet, serve and assist farm customers, building our reputation for quality and service
  • Cashier
  • Pick, sort and pack apples
  • Stock store coolers and shelves
  • Maintain cleanliness and organization of farm store and packing facilities
  • Work safely in a dynamic agritourism environment following all safety procedures
Requirements
  • Age 18 or older
  • Customer service oriented
  • Motivated to work hard with attention to quality and detail
  • Energetic, physically fit and able to do manual labour; able to lift 25 lbs
  • Reliable and dependable during our key farm harvest season
  • Ability to learn quickly, work independently and respond to changes in assigned tasks
  • Able to distinguish and select fruit based on colour, size, and quality
  • Legally able to work in Canada
  • Own transportation to and from our farm (Hwy 15, 10 min N of 401)
  • Clean criminal background check
Working Conditions and Compensation:
  • 15-30 hrs per week, including weekend days
  • $14 per hour
 
​​​​​​​Valuable experience:  Any of the following backgrounds will be considered an asset: farm or other manual labour jobs, customer service, cashier
 
How to apply: Visit our website at https://www.waddellapples.com/jobs.html to complete the online form and submit your resume. Work references required. 
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Apple Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

3/16/2019

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​This Apple Spinach Salad recipe is one of my all-time favorites. It’s made with a delicious mix of sweet and savory ingredients, it’s tossed with a tangy apple cider vinaigrette, and it’s always a crowd favorite!

​Feel free to sub in whatever greens, nuts, or soft cheese that you have on hand (see Tips below).
Ingredients

  • 10 ounces baby spinach
  • 2 large apples, cored and thinly-sliced
  • half a small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced
  • 1 cup walnut halves, toasted
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • a generous pinch of salt and black pepper
  • (optional) 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, to sweeten
Tips
  • If prepping in advance, toss the apple slices in some lemon juice so they don’t brown
  • Feel free to incorporate or substitute the spinach with kale or other greens you have in the fridge
  • Substitute other nuts like toasted pecans
  • Any soft cheese like goat, blue or even brie can be used
  • If you don’t have apple cider vinegar on hand, substitute champagne vinegar, rice vinegar or balsamic
  • To make this salad into a meal, add baked chicken
 
Directions
  1. Add spinach, apples, red onion, walnuts, dried cranberries, and half of the feta cheese to a large bowl.
  1. Add all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Or, add all ingredients to a mason jar, cover, and shake to combine.
  2. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, and toss to combine.
  3. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining feta cheese.
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Finni's Braised Cabbage

3/15/2019

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​This delicious, tangy red cabbage makes a great side dish with savoury beef dishes and was a traditional vegetable my mother 'Finni' served with stuffed turkey too.

Ingredients

  • 2 T bacon drippings or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium head red cabbage, about 2 1/2 pounds
  • 3 large apples
  • 1 medium onion, peeled
  • 1/2 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/8 t ground pepper
  • 1/2 t sugar
  • diced cooked bacon, optional

Directions

  • Remove outer leaves of cabbage; cut into wedges and cut out core. 
  • Using a food processor or sharp knife, shred the cabbage. 
  • Insert 1 whole clove into onion. 
  • Peel and quarter apples. 
  • Heat bacon fat or oil in a large saucepan over low to medium heat. Add cabbage and stir to coat. 
  • Add remaining ingredients; reduce heat to low. 
  • Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Red cabbage should be 'al dente' and apples should be softened and blended in.
  • Adjust vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.  
  • Toss with some diced cooked bacon just before serving, if desired. 

Serves 6. Braised red cabbage freezes well, thaw and heat in microwave to serve.
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10 Things to do with Apple Cider Syrup!

6/11/2017

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Apple Cider Syrup is a colonial recipe popular in New England.  Like maple syrup, it is made by boiling down a sweet natural nectar (in this case, pure apple cider) until it thickens to syrup consistency that can be preserved and enjoyed for many months.  Unlike mellow maple syrup though, Apple Cider Syrup is an elixer with the concentrated tangy rich flavour of apples  has an unexpected tangy. Once a kitchen staple, Apple Cider Syrup has regained popularity with gourmet cooks and foodies alike.  Brace yourself for a unique culinary experience!

Curious about the background?

I'm not sure how or where I first came across the concept of Apple Cider Syrup. To be honest, I have never tasted or even seen it anywhere else!  As a fan of traditional slow cooking, I have always been fascinated by the creative ways cooks and colonists used to preserve and enjoy bounty from their fields, pastures and gardens. Some focused internet research has helped provide insight and history into this fascinating product.  

10 things you can do with Apple Cider Syrup

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  1. Use as a sweetener in recipes in place of sugar, honey, or maple syrup...everything from baking to salad dressings and marinades
  2. Stir into oatmeal or plain yoghurt
  3. Drizzle over pancakes or waffles (use just a little!)
  4. Glaze meats like poultry and salmon. For ham and pork, mix with equal parts of whole grain mustard. 
  5. When you can't get fresh apples, toss a tablespoon or two with the sliced apples for a pie or apple crisp for a fresh apple-y taste
  6. Whisk into cream cheese icing to add flavour and colour
  7. Spoon over vanilla ice cream
  8. Pour a tablespoon over ice, fill the rest of the glass with seltzer water, and stir. Voila! Healthy apple cider soda!
  9. Make “instant” hot cider: stir 1-3 tablespoons into boiling water (add a little rum or brandy to make a hot toddy!)
  10. Stir into your favourite hot tea to sweeten and brighten the flavour

Did I say 10? The list keeps growing!

  1. Add a teaspoon to add colour and brightness to a meat gravy
  2. Mix with icing sugar to glaze cakes and tarts
  3. Add to your favourite brines for meat and poultry
  4. Use as a glaze for winter vegetables like carrots, squash and parsnips
Buy Apple cider syrup now!
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Apple Glazed Ham

3/4/2017

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Baked ham is an easy, versatile and economical entree to prepare and serve at family dinners or special occasions throughout the year.  This recipe combines full-flavoured Apple Cider Syrup and Dijon mustard for a sweet-tangy glaze that will be sure to please!
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Ingredients:
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  • 1 cooked bone-in half-ham (7-8 pounds)
  • Aluminum foil
  • 15 whole cloves
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Syrup
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Directions:
​
  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cut off the tough, leatherlike skin from ham (if it has it; some hams will not), and score the fat in a crosshatch pattern. Stud ham all over with cloves, put in a large roasting pan, and loosely tent with foil. If pan has a roasting rack, pour 2 cups water into bottom.
  2. Bake until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part (not touching the bone) registers 135°, about 20 minutes per lb. or 2 to 2 1/2 hours total, basting occasionally with any accumulated juices.
  3. While ham is baking, whisk together the Apple Cider Syrup and Dijon mustard until smooth.
  4. When ham has about 40 minutes left to bake (internal temperature will be 120° to 125°), brush generously on all sides with glaze. Continue baking until ham reaches 135° and glaze is well browned.
  5. Baste with remaining juices and allow foil-covered ham to rest 15 minutes before slicing.

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Summer Chickpea Salad with Chive Blossom Vinaigrette

8/1/2016

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On these hot summer days, it's great to enjoy a meal of easy, no-cook salads.  Chickpeas are a great source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.  Buy them canned and just rinse and add to this delicious salad!
Chickpea Salad with Chive Blossom Vinaigrette

Salad Ingredients:
  • 1 - 19oz can chickpeas
  • 4 cucumbers - chopped
  • 2 small red bell peppers - chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)

​Vinaigrette Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 4 tablespoons Chive Blossom Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon liquid honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
  • ​Combine salad ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  • Combine vinaigrette ingredients into a jar.  Cover, and shake vigorously to blend.
  • Pour vinaigrette over salad ingredients and mix well.  Cover and chill for 1-2 hours before serving to let flavours blend.
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Your BFF (Bee-Friendly Farm)

5/1/2016

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Bee savvy

Like other apple growers, we understand the the importance of bees and other pollinators to successful fruit production. Did you know:
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  • ​For most apple varieties to produce fruit, the pollen from flowers on one apple tree must be transferred to flowers on another tree? (called 'cross-pollination')
  • It takes 8 to 24 pollinator visits to a single apple blossom just to produce 2-3 nice apples?
  • Most of the pollen exchange done by honeybees happens when they rub against each other in the hive and then go back to the orchard to gather pollen and nectar from other trees in the orchard​

Show & Tell

​To help educate our customers about the important relationship between honeybees and apple-growing, we invited local  beekeepers from Bee-Happy Honey to talk about pollination in this video about apple blossom time on our farm.

This video helps us 'show and tell' our farm visitors about the the importance of honeybees to sustainable apple farming, but for us it's more than just talk....

10 ways we protect and foster bees

​​We use responsible and ecological farming practices that blend organic and conventional methods, including these bee-friendly practices:
  1. Managing our orchard to proactively minimize and mitigate pest and disease issues, eg: pruning, mowing, thinning
  2. Using a minimal spray program using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as recommended by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
  3. Investing in modern sprayer equipment including low-drift spray towers to direct the spray horizontally into the apple trees providing better coverage and reducing the amount of product applied 
  4. Monitoring pest levels using special insect traps and lures to determine when and how to use control methods
  5. Combining organic and synthetic products, selecting those with lowest impact to the environment, beneficial insects and pollinators.  We do not use any products containing neonicotinoids
  6. Building relationships with local beekeepers and notifying them in advance of spraying insecticides so they can take precautions with their hives
  7. Never spraying any insecticides during blossom time
  8. Spraying only during low-wind conditions, generally early in the morning between 5:30 - 7:30 am before bees and other pollinators get active
  9. Mowing the grass under the apple trees to avoid the use of herbicides in our Pick-Your-Own area and provide food for bees and beneficial insects
  10. Farm-scaping to encourage ample forage and natural water sources for bees and other pollinators like building farm ponds and leaving meadows and hedgerows around the orchard with ground covers, wildflowers and plantings.

Plus a new Bee-Garden!


A couple of years ago, we added a new feature in our orchard - a 'Bee Garden'.  It's nestled in the sunny hillside overlooking our orchard and we've planted and sown pollinator-friendly flowers that provide nector and pollen for bees after our apple blossoms are done.  These include  perennials like Chives, Mint and Phlox, and  annuals like Cosmos, Zinnias, Marigolds, Coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans.
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Visit Us this Fall!
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A thousand cuts - Apple orchard pruning!

4/11/2016

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These days, we have been focusing on dormant pruning, taking advantage of every possible day the weather permits.  Pruning is an important part of orchard maintenance to maintain the structure, health and productivity of the trees. 

A labour of a thousand cuts


​You may have heard the expression 'death of a thousand cuts' - an idiom describing a situation in which lots of small bad things add up to a slow and painful demise. Ironically, the thousands of cuts made when pruning an apple orchard serve quite the opposite - they collectively help rejuvenate the trees!  But the work is not easy! Even with air-powered pruning equipment...it takes time and persistance.

And then there's the clean-up...

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​That sprawling heap of branches is a by-product of our annual dormant pruning efforts! We pick up the cuttings under the trees as pruning progresses, pile them onto a wagon and haul them over to the brush pile.  

In fact, the brush pile in this photo is showing only some of the cuttings from one year's pruning effort...the dark circle of ashes in front left was from approved open-air burnings we did on days that were windstill and damp. Of course, we notify the local fire department each time so they can authorize the burn! It's all about responsible farming stewardship.

The budding promise

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And there they are! Still-dormant fruit buds waiting for the spring sun and warmth to coax them into developing lovely fragrant apple blossoms!  With good weather, proper pollination and further protection from pests and disease, they will grow into beautiful apples.  

There's lots more orchard work to come during the rest of the growing season till we get there...Be sure to come back and see us during the fall harvest to see how these little buds came along!

Visit Us!
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Grilled Cheese & Apple Butter Sandwich

5/6/2015

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Our Apple Butter has a tangy flavour and full-bodied apple sweetness that pairs beautifully with cheese whether as a condiment on a cheese plate or -- as in this case -- baked together in a delectable combo! Try this new twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast, lunch or snack!
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Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat bread
  • Sliced cheese - Smoked Gouda or Extra-Old Cheddar work very well
  • Apple Butter
  • Butter 

Directions:

  • For each sandwich, butter the outside of two slices bread.
  • Spread inside of each slice with a generous layer of Apple Butter.
  • Arrange sliced cheese over Apple Butter.
  • Top with second slice of bread (Apple Butter side goes next to the cheese).
  • Heat a non-stick frying pan and grill the sandwich on each side, flipping with a spatula until both sides are nicely browned and the cheese has melted a bit.
  • Remove to plate, cut into quarters and enjoy!

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Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps with Apple Butter Dip

4/30/2015

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This is an easy-to-make snack that both kids and adults enjoy!  The combination of our Apple Butter with its tangy flavour and full-bodied apple sweetness, paired with crispy tortilla chips lightly seasoned with sugar and cinnamon is -- well -- totally 'apple-tizing'! Our Apple Butter is made without added sugar and the tortilla chips are baked fat-free, so it's a healthy treat too! 
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Ingredients

  • 8 - 8 inch tortillas
  • 2 T granulated sugar
  • 1 T ground cinnamon
  • 6 T melted butter
  • 1 C Apple Butter

Directions


  • Preheat oven to 400° F. 
  • Cut all 8 tortillas into 4 sections each. 
  • Melt butter. 
  • In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. 
  • Brush tortillas wedges with melted butter. 
  • Place on cookie sheets and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. 
  • Place in heated oven and bake for approximately 6 minutes or until they are slightly brown. 
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
  • Serve with a dish of Apple Butter for dipping.
  • Store leftover tortilla crisps in an air tight container. 

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Contact Us

info@waddellapples.com

Tel: 613-546-1690
Cell: 613-540-1690
​
1345 Washburn Road
Kingston, Ontario K0H 2N0
(Hwy 15 & Washburn Rd)

Hours

As a farm business, our products and hours change with the Harvest season:
  • ​Farm Store: Closed for 2020 season
  • ​​PYO: Sold Out for 2020
  • Online Store: Shop 24X7 with curbside pickup by appointment. Our system automatically sets a minimum 24-hour window for us to prepare your order.   

Methods of Payment

  • At our Farm: Cash, Interac, Visa, Mastercard
  • Online: Visa, Mastercard, American Express 

Committed to Farming

Member of Ontario Apple Growers
Member of National Farmers Union Ontario
Foodland Ontario Partner
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