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Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes in Surrey

When it comes to outdoor activities to get you into the spirit of the changing seasons, it doesn’t get much more autumnal than than pumpkin patches and corn mazes. by Catherine Dunwoody Fall is most definitely here, and getting lost in a zigzagging corn maze or choosing which big orange beauty to take with you from a pumpkin patch is part of the fun when it comes to living in or visiting Metro Vancouver, especially in Surrey. The city boasts 3 different mazes and patches, each unique and fun for the entire family. The Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch The Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch (aka Gabriel Farms)  is open throughout October and offers all the autumn fun you can handle. Open on weekends starting September 23, 10 am to 5 pm, you can partake in a petting zoo, wagon rides, a mini corn maze, face painting, and a concession. U-pick pumpkins in many…

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Sweets

Up Your Candy Game Ahead of Halloween

You’re an adult now, and while you may not still be trick or treating (hopefully), it’s time to have a serious talk about candy. If you’re one to commit to cheat days, then it’s worth doing it right. If you’re going to cheat, then cheat well. With Halloween looming, it’s a fitting time to up our candy game, instead of waiting until Nov 1, to pillage the dollar stores for discounted leftovers. If nothing else, these options will introduce you to a whole new world of snacking that is worth circling a few more days on your calendar. *Cover image care of Karameller Candy Shop Steveston Sweet Shoppe What better way to cap a zenned-out stroll by the water than with a mouth full of Pop Rocks? Come crashing back down to Earth and speed towards its sugary core with all manner of extreme sweets on offer. Crack…

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Farms

Pumpkin Patches in Metro Vancouver

For kids, maintaining composure in the lead-up to Halloween can be just as unbearable as trying not to eat the whole advent calendar on December first. I say “for kids” mainly as a misdirect to hide the fact that, as I’m a grown man, with no kids, I’m finding it hard to maintain my composure in the lead-up to Halloween. Thankfully these spooky, fresh-air activities are like a ghostly balm on my impatience as I wait for the calendar to run down. Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch A mainstay of the best autumn events in Surrey, the Hazelmere patch returns with a you-pick pumpkin area, a mini corn maze, a playground area and a wagon ride. Oh, and not to be outdone, there’s plenty of opportunity to interact with the friendly locals of the farm (goats, pigs, peacocks). Food trucks will be on the scene, so stay for lunch and make a…

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Eagle Acres Pumpkins
Family Friendly

Autumn Harvests Right From the Farm

By Kristi Alexandra While autumn marks the end of the u-pick berry season, it doesn’t mean local harvesting is over. From pumpkin patches to cranberries to organic greens, here are a selection of working farms in Metro Vancouver and beyond that have markets where you can purchase seasonal produce this fall. Riverside Cranberry Farm Riverside Cranberry Farm boasts a picturesque harvest season perfect for scooping up fresh cranberries and taking selfies. On your visit, you can snap photos around Riverside’s cranberry bog, learn about cranberry farming, and bring home some freshly harvested cranberries and other goodies from the new onsite Farm Store. If getting it all for the ‘gram is your motivation, we suggest adding the “Cranberry Plunge,” where you can plunge into the bog of berries to do some harvesting yourself. Don’t worry–the farm provides the waders so you don’t actually get wet. Open Sept 30–Oct 7, Thurs–Sat 26885…

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Chocolate, Sweets, and Baking

Up Your Candy Game Ahead of Halloween

You’re an adult now, and while you may not still be trick or treating (hopefully), it’s time to have a serious talk about candy. If you’re one to commit to cheat days, then it’s worth doing it right. If you’re going to cheat, then cheat well. With Halloween looming, it’s a fitting time to up our candy game, instead of waiting until Nov 1, to pillage the dollar stores for discounted leftovers. If nothing else, these options will introduce you to a whole new world of snacking that is worth circling a few more days on your calendar. *Cover image care of Karameller Candy Shop Steveston Sweet Shoppe What better way to cap a zenned-out stroll by the water than with a mouth full of Pop Rocks? Come crashing back down to Earth and speed towards its sugary core with all manner of extreme sweets on offer. Crack…

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Farms

Mini Road Trip: Langley’s Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes

By Catherine Dunwoody Hop in your vehicles for a lazy, autumn drive through Langley in BC’s Fraser Valley to discover the prettiest pumpkin patches and most amazing mazes – of corn that is. The fall season in all its colourful glory makes for a lovely road trip, so load up the car with the family and make a day of it. Your first stop, near the Canadian border, is the city of Langley, where you’ll want to pull over to visit Eagle Acres. For the past 20 years this family-owned farm has grown to a whopping 20 acres of pumpkin patches growing 15 varieties, and 5 acres of animal displays in the barns and outside in pens – ideal for inquisitive city kids. The Pumpkin Patch is open daily from October 1 – 31, with covered hayrides out to the pumpkin patch to find that perfect Halloween jack-o-lantern, and included…

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Recipes

Recipe: Gaoler’s Mews Cocktail

By Katie Ingram, head bartender, L’Abattoir Vancouver’s L’Abattoir restaurant is housed in a 19th–century heritage building where the city’s first jail once stood. Head bartender Katie Ingram pays homage to the location’s haunted past with a cocktail inspired by a time when whisky followed freely. The bourbon-based drink offers savoury tasting notes that evoke elements of a prisoner’s last meal. Black tea and vermouth add a gamey quality to drink, while the Nightshade cordial bring weight and texture to create a full-bodied libation perfect for slow-sipping in dark corners.  INGREDIENTS Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon (45 mL or 1.5 oz.) Fermented black tea-infused vermouth (20 mL or 0.75 oz.) Nightshade cordial (10 mL or 0.25 oz.) Bittered Sling French Quarter Bitters (2 dashes) DIRECTIONS 1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice.

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Recipes

Recipe: Tales of Suspense #52 Cocktail

By Marc Slingsby-Jones, bar manager, Café Medina “Initially, I wanted to name this cocktail the ‘Black Widow.’ It turns out that’s a fairly popular name for a cocktail, so I channeled my inner nerd and the spirit of Halloween and came up with ‘Tales of Suspense #52’ — the comic in which the Black Widow superhero first makes her appearance.” INGREDIENTS Vodka (1.5 oz) Grand Marnier (1/2 oz) Fresh lime juice (1/2 oz) Charcoal syrup (30ml water, 30ml sugar, 1 pinch of activated charcoal) Egg white (from 1 egg) Mulled cranberry syrup (1 oz) *see below for recipe DIRECTIONS 1. Add egg white, vodka, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and cranberry syrup to shaker. 2. Give the mixture a good hard, dry shake (no ice). 3. Fill shaker with ice and shake a second time. 4. Double strain mixture into a coupe glass. 5. Wait for foam to form on top…

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