Sophienhof: Sophie’s Farm
Our property in the Annapolis Valley features a mixed apple orchard planted at least 50 years ago, which still reliably produces fruit over a long fall season.
We are located at 352 Canard Street, 15 minutes from the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, in an area of King’s County long celebrated for fruit growing. Rich soil, plenty of moisture, long hot summers and cool fall nights make for fully ripened and beautifully coloured apples.
These venerable trees have weathered many a tough winter, have seen people and their methods of farming come and go, have provided a home for generations of goldfinches, song sparrows, cedar waxwings… field mice and red-tailed hawks.
Presently they are being pruned to reinvigorate them and are under the organic management of TapRoot Farms.
We have over a dozen traditional apple varieties that are still not 100% identified. Among them are the early ripening Jersey Mac, Kestrel, Paula Red, and Burgundy; mid-season MacIntosh and Gala; late season Red Delicious, Spartan, Cox Orange, Ida Red, and Northern Spy.
About Sophie
Sophie completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Dalhousie University and her PhD (scientiae humanae) at Heidelberg University. She has been gardening, landscaping and learning about growing fruit at Sophienhof for a quarter of a century.
Her favourite apple may be a juicy Cortland fresh off the tree. Or possibly a Cox’s Orange Pippin. Or maybe the addictive Spartan after all? So many varieties, so hard to decide!
Partnerships
We are proud to partner with local farms that subscribe to a high standard of environmental stewardship:
Suprima Farms (https:wfm2go.localfoodmarketplace.com) in Sheffield Mills has been growing spray-free apples since the 1990’s. Once a heretic, grower Richard Hennigar could now be considered avant-garde for his beyond-organic approach to apple growing.
TapRoot Farms (http://taprootfarms.ca) in Port Williams has been growing all kinds of organic fruit and vegetables (as well as raising free-range chickens and pastured animals) since 2004. Grower Josh Oulton helps to manage the Sophienhof orchard as well as others in the vicinity.
Juicerie Sophie 