Miller's Bay Farm

06/12/2026

Let's go....let's GO!!
There's a berry update to be sorted out and posted when we get home to the farm!!

Thanks for your patience while we've taken a couple of days to celebrate a very special milestone.

We wouldn't have skipped it for anything - EVEN strawberries (...IF they'd been ready...which they weren't. 🤷‍♀️)

06/04/2026

Ontario Asparagus season is still going strong!!

Roasting brings out crisp edges and deep, savoury flavour, while grilling adds smoky char and that fresh-off-the-BBQ taste of spring.
The best part? Both methods are fast, simple, and let Ontario asparagus stay the star of the plate. 💚

To roast (or airfry!):
Oil + salt + pepper
Bake at 400°F for approx. 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it
Look for it to be tender, with a slight bite

To grill:
Coat with oil + salt
Grill over high heat for 2–4 minutes
Look for lightly charred and fork-tender
So… are you roasting or grilling this season? 👀

06/02/2026

🍓🍓🍓Strawberry update....
Still waiting!

We know we don't need to remind you what a long, cool spring that was.
It makes a difference! Just like the perennials in your flower beds that took their sweet time coming out, our strawberries took a little longer to wake up and get growing this year too. (Can you blame them?!?!?)

The good news is that they're looking healthy - FULL of blossoms (and remember... every blossom = one berry!).

We should be on track for a 'mid-June' opening, but we'll keep you posted as things progress.

**In case you're keeping track, our opening day was June 10th last year... so it's not like we're WEEKS behind or anything crazy like that.
Hang in with us....we'll get there!!

In the meantime, don't forget about asparagus! It's still going strong and the Roadside Stand is open Part-time for now.
See our hours here:
https://millersbayfarm.com/hours/

05/28/2026

Heads-up!!
May 31st is the cut-off date for our Bountiful Basket Programs (both the weekly version, and Freestyle).
If you were considering joining the fun this year, we'd hate to see you miss your chance.

Head on over to our website and register online right now...before you get distracted and forget!! (or is it just me who does things like that?!?!?)

https://millersbayfarm.com/bountiful-baskets/

05/27/2026

05/25/2026

These guys.... What can we say?
Unlike the folks in our previous 'team' post, you may not run into them very often when you visit the farm.

One thing is certain though.... If it weren't for THIS team.... THAT team would have nothing to offer you! The Roadside Stand would be empty.

We're not being dramatic when we say that Miller's Bay Farm (in its current form) simply would NOT exist if it weren't for Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP).

Did you know that the SAWP - celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026 - brings over 30,000 professional agricultural workers to Canada each year?

These men (and also women) make incredible sacrifices to be here, often for up to 8 months at a time. Their work provides stable support for their families at home, allowing them opportunities that otherwise would be nearly impossible... like post-secondary education; specialized medical treatment; and for many, investing in their own businesses for the months that they do spend in their home country.

We know you're curious about the program and our team, and we welcome that conversation ANYTIME! We're proud to be a part of the program.

Another excellent source of information is More than a Migrant Worker .
There you can 'meet' individual workers and hear their personal stories as they share their reasons for coming to Canada, and the difference it makes for their families.

Gentlemen, we appreciate you! Thank you for coming.
🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

05/23/2026

☝️Don't forget the asparagus!!
Roadside Stand is open until 2pm today (Saturday)

Closed Sunday and Monday

then open again from Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 - 5:30.

See you soon!

**Note that these are part-time hours, only until strawberries get going, hopefully sometime in Mid-June.

05/22/2026

On this day in 1971....
while, undoubtedly MANY things were different than they are today, at least ONE thing's the same:
"Planting time"!

I've been enjoying sifting through some OLD farm papers lately.

Look at this invoice from Sheridan Feeds in Smiths Falls (2 Main Street West.... which, if I'm not mistaken, now houses My Place Restaurant).

In case you can't make out the faint pencil strokes, here's what someone (likely Robert's grandmother, Marion Miller) purchased that day:
2 doz. tomato plants - $1.90
2 boxes cabbage @ $0.65 ea - $1.30
1 box cauliflower - $0.75
1 1/2 oz. beets - $1.02
1 lb onions - $1.25
1 asparagus - $2.89

for a grand total of $9.11

Marked paid by JMS

**Take note of their varied offerings listed on the top of the bill!
Oh, to take a walk through that store today!

Anyone have any memories of it?
Please share them with us.

05/21/2026

Look at those beautiful baby plants!! 😍
Last evening was Pickup #1 of many for the season.

Since we don't have a greenhouse (and incidentally, SOME of us are perfectly happy with that arrangement... 😉 ) we rely on someone who DOES for this step of the growing process.

We appreciate our partnership with Salt of the Earth Farm, and their expertise in getting our vegetable plants off to a strong start!

This load contained lettuce, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower...just to name a few.

AND... be sure to check out the final photo for one of your (and Robert's) VERY favourites.... 🤭 They didn't come home with us this time... but will be on one of the next loads. Any guesses???

05/19/2026

Today we said 'until we meet again' to a very special lady.
Wilma was our mom, grandma, and mother-in-law. Her influence and hard work is permanently woven into the very fabric of Miller's Bay Farm.

She was a loving and supportive presence; a gifted hostess; and a born saleswoman... likely due in large part to her upbringing as a grocer's daughter.

As a farm woman in that era (She and Donald were married in 1954.), her responsibilities were many - and varied -
from bookkeeping to baking
from mowing hay to milking cows
from packing maple syrup to picking up parts

No matter the task (as the photos attest) it was done with joy.
The 'joy of the Lord' certainly was her strength.
What an example!

(Now please indulge me while I get a little more personal...)

It was my honour to be the only daughter-in-law... Robert of course, being her 'baby boy'. Only recently - as our three boys enter adulthood - have I realized that this is no small matter! The transition from being the 'most important woman' in your son's life to... not... has got to be hard on the heart!
(And if she happens to be joining the family business, multiply those feelings at least tenfold!)

Here's the thing...
NEVER have I EVER, in the 28 years I've known her, felt anything but loved, accepted and encouraged by my mother-in-law.
Our relationship was not the sort that saw us meeting for coffee, or shopping dates, and that's perfectly ok.

Instead, there was a deep understanding... one that can only be shared by someone who has 'been there - done that' and someone who is 'there' or is learning to 'do that'.
She always knew the perfect time to bring a hot meal, lend a helping hand, or simply give a knowing look that said, 'I get it. I've been where you are. You can do this.'
As it turns out, that loving support was worth more than all of the coffee and shopping dates in the world!

We will see you again.
But in the meantime...
for the love, the lessons, and the legacy...
we say,

'Thanks Mom.'
❤️