Apple Picking In Kitchener/Waterloo and surrounding Area

Is there anything tastier than a Crisp Fall Apple?  My favourite apple is the Honey Crisp, they are basically like the Cadillac of apples and are described as Super Crisp, Very Juicy and Bursting with flavour, how can you not want  that!? When you go out to a place to pick your own, certain apples are much more affordable, like Honey Crisp and get you to spend a few hours in the Orchard!

Here are some spots where you can go to get some fresh from farm apples or go and pick your own.  Make a day of it and go enjoy our beautiful local orchards.

Martin’s Family Fruit Farm

Located at: 1420 Lobsinger Line, close to the St. Jacobs market
 

While you can’t pick your own apples here, they offer all you would expect from an apple farm, crisp apples in many varieties, fresh pressed cider and many preserves.  They also have store hours that you can still get it after work.  This is a great stop if you are pressed for time and don’t want to pick your own but still want farm fresh.

For more info about their apples and hours, visit their site here 

Orchard Home Farm

Located at:  235 Howell Rd, St George – Between Cambridge & Brantford

This is the orchard I make a stop at once a year to pick my own apples.  There’s something about an apple right off the tree that is just so tasty!  This orchard offers many varaties of apples both in pick your own or in their outdoor farm store.  They also have pumpkins and homemade tasty treats if you are looking for a reason to stop in.

For more info about their apples and hours, visit their site here 

Brantview Apples & Cider

Located at:  225 Howell Rd , St George

Just down the road from Orchard Home Farm is another family owned orchard that offers more fun for the whole family including a tractor ride to pick your own apples and a corn maze!  They also offer many apple products including cider, butters, jellies and even apple cider donuts! 

For more info about their apples and hours, visit their site here 

Chudleigh’s

Located at:  9528 regional Road 25, Milton

Chudleigh’s is full of many happy family memories for a lot of people in the region and this is why I’ve included it on the list, even though it’s a bit of a drive and outside the region.  Chudleigh’s is more of a tradition that just a place to pick your apples.  They offer admission to get in and you can take wagon rides, visit the farm animals, swing on the ropes swings on the nature trail and watch the kids play on their slides and hay maze.  They offer BBQ for lunch options and of course their apple blossom dessert!  Make a day of it, take your family and enjoy all the Chudleigh’s has to offer, they have been offering up fall fun to families for generations.

For more information about what you can do at Chudleigh’s visit their site here 

The following tips will increase your confidence in your ability to take back control of your life.

1. Determine The Size Of The "Opportunity"      

Problems are actually opportunities waiting to be discovered. Adopting this attitude will help you see that you can make choices that will positively impact your life.

Action: recognize that not all debt is equal.  Classify your debt by the interest cost of the debt. The highest interest cost debt is the first opportunity to pursue.

2. Follow The Money

You’ve likely heard the expression “follow the money”. Begin by reviewing your expenses. When expenses exceed income, savings reduction, debt accumulation or both is always the result.  Next, what opportunities exist to increase your income?

Reducing your expenses is often easier than increasing your income. 

Action: make a monthly list of expenses for each of the past 3-6 months and categorize each expense as either “must have” (example: food) or “like to have” (example: entertainment).

3. What Are The Viable Alternatives?

It is easy to get “locked” into your behaviour as it is related to how you spend your money. Your past experiences have shaped your habits and consequently your beliefs about the future . 

Be willing to confront your past behaviour by changing saving and spending habits.

Action: Identify less expensive alternatives for some “must have” and “like to have” purchases with the objective of reducing your total spending.  Establish a savings goal.

4. Start Small

Provide yourself opportunities to succeed. If you start with a small change in behaviour, you can experience success more quickly and provide yourself with needed encouragement.

Action: eliminate one or more small expenses from your “like to have” list.  Use the savings to reduce high interest cost debt and/or increase savings.

5. Celebrate

It is important to recognize the progress that you make on this journey. Keep the celebrations small but do celebrate. They will become a habit that you’ll want to repeat.

Action: set a modest goal that you can achieve quickly. Take the necessary action to achieve your goal; have a small celebration and then repeat the process.

Kitchener Waterloo Business Spotlight
Living Fresh Flower + Plant Studio
     

Mother’s day is just around the corner and if you are looking for something incredible to surprise the wonderful   mothers in your life with, a stop into Living Fresh Flower + Plant studio will be exactly you’re looking for!        

When you go into Living Fresh you will be met with much more than just your everyday bouquets.  Their arrangements are unique, vibrant and something that your mother will remember.  Not only do they put together great floral   arrangements, but you can also get an incredible hand tied bouquet, unique plants, gift boxes made with local treasures, flower subscriptions or even treat your mother to a floral arrangement class. 

Their shop is bright and spacious and showcases some of the most incredible flowers and plants you have ever seen, if you’re looking for that unique gift for someone hard to shop for, this is a must-see shop!  For special occasions, Living Fresh will offer seasonal arrangements that are quick to pick up, or if you have a little more time, you can let them know what you are looking for and they are sure to make something for you that surpasses your wildest dream! 

If you’d like to try your own skills at floral arrangements, Living Fresh offers in depth small classes over a few weeks so you can learn this skill yourself and become a confident floral designer, great for those looking to kick start their career as a floral designer or even someone who wants some in depth knowledge for their own floral designs.

Living Fresh is going to be your go to shop in downtown Kitchener for your floral needs, from gifts, everyday flowers to brighten your home in any season or even weddings.  Tina and her team at Living Fresh will not let you down and provide a beautiful experience with fresh and long-lasting flowers!

It’s Ice cream Season!  

Okay, let’s be serious, I don’t need to wait for summer to enjoy ice cream, but it does run through my mind more when it’s gets warm.  Think of ice cream like my version of an ice cold beer on a hot day! 

If you haven’t tried our loved local treat you’re missing some of the most fantastic and interesting ice cream that I’ve ever had!  Now I’ll be honest, their location isn’t open all the time, so it’s a little hard to get into if you’re busy, but there are lots of other locations now in Kitchener Waterloo where you can pick up and try these tasty creamy creations!  I’ve got a table below on where you can get your fix of Four All Ice Cream. 

If you want to know what makes their icecream so special, it’s how’s it made!  Locally sourced milk and cream is then combined with local and/or responsibly sourced ingredients, often in small batches.  The flavours change regularly and if you love one, make sure you keep going back to get it, get all of it!  Not only the ingredients are great, they are packaged in small should packaging, which will leave you asking yourself if you should just eat the whole thing,  of course you should!  Also when they’re small, you can buy many flavours and try them all! 

Make sure to stop into one of the below Four All pick up spots this summer, it’s a stop you won’t regret!

Stop in at Graffiti Market for this Icecream Taco! 

Where you can pick up these treats?

Business Spotlight:
Bao Sandwich Bar

If you’re looking for a tasty meal or even a snack, Bao Sandwich Bar is an incredible stop and one you will not regret! Located at 62 Balsam St, Unit #B106, Waterloo, the location is a little hard to find, look it up on the map and I can tell you it’s worth the search!  There also isn’t parking in it’s little parking lot most of the time, so street parking it is, this spot is also worth the little walk! 

A few tips about ordering, the Bao sandwich is best on the little Bao bun, steamy and soft, you will not regret this bun choice.  They offer bigger sandwichs on Baguettes, but the steamed bun really stands out for me!  Just get more of them and try some different varieties, they offer an incredible beef bao, I also really enjoy the crispy chicken and the crispy fish, I can tell you, there has never been  a person I went with who didn’t like the Bao they picked.  They have fresh and crispy ingredients inside a deliciously soft Bao bun that will keep you coming back at a price that won’t break the bank.  Don’t be fooled by the small size of the Bao however, I can only eat 2 before I’m full and I don’t even make it a combo but you can with nice crispy fries, or a duck poutine! 

This is a great place to stop with some friends who don’t mind sharing food so you can try a little of everything until you have your favourite. If you’re ordering with the office, they also offer local delivery through doordash or onelocal, so you can get your Bao fix for your whole office.  This hidden gem in Waterloo will quickly become a favourite and the reason for many cravings, I think about it often!

Business Spotlight:
Zehrs Click and Collect

Getting groceries is part of everyone’s regular routine, but if you’re like me, finding the time to spend walking around a grocery store just isn’t how I like to spend my free time.  Not only does grocery shopping take me a long time, but I also find I spend way more in the store than I have to on those tasty impulse items.

This year I discovered click and collect, now I’m not going to lie, it took a few orders to become the breeze it is now, so don’t be frustrated when you first try it.  When you first set up the service, you need to make sure to log in, if you are logged in, the system will remember what you have ordered in the past and will start smart suggesting when you are ordering.  Also, make sure to add your PC points card number to your profile so you can collect your points on all your purchases.

The search through the categories can be a little daunting, which is why I like to use the search bar function, but there is a great tip.  Instead of searching for just one item like bread, search for many items you know you need and put commas in between so you can find them all at once and save time (bread, milk, raisin bran, cottage cheese) this will speed up the process.  Once you’ve ordered a few times, your frequent items will appear in a list making it much easier to shop online.

I was worried about having someone who works for the store picking my items, worried I wouldn’t get the best produce or I would get milk about to expire, but I can assure you, I’ve been happy every time with the items chosen.  It seems the people who shop at Zehrs for you are shopping like they would for themselves and it’s much appreciated!   The other thing that the shoppers at Zehrs do which is great, is if an item you ordered online is out of stock in store, they will call you, ask if a substitute is an option, and give you the options for similar products.  The communication they provide is fantastic, and they always have great substitution suggestions.

The other reason I like the click and collect online ordering is that I am less likely to impulse buy that giant bag of chocolates or extra tub of fancy sounding ice cream.  The $3 I pay to have Zehrs complete the shop for me saves me money and most likely pounds in the long run!
 

Once your time frame has come and it’s time to pick up your groceries, you arrive at Zehrs, try the one at Stanley park, it has underground parking for their click and collect, so in the winter, you don’t have to worry about the snow!  Once you arrive, you call the number on the click and collect sign and they will come out with a cart of your items, which have been in their fridges and freezers waiting for you.  If you order one of those hot counter chickens, they will grab that when you call so it’s super fresh and hot still!  You can bag your own groceries from their cart, or if you have nice plastic reusable grocery containers, you can use those too.  The service is environmentally friendly, convenient, fast and fantastic!  Give Zehrs click and collect a try, I can guarantee after using it about 3 times, you’ll be hooked on it’s ease.
 

Business Spotlight – GroundHog Divers

What to do in Kitchener/Waterloo - Local Bars

Looking for somewhere great to grab a craft beer, a unique cocktail, hear some live music, have a great late night bite to eat or play some games,  here is a short list of some of the incredible bars in Kitchener Waterloo and what makes them great!

The Bent Elbow:

Located at:  2880 King Street E, Kitchener (Near Fairway and King at the Expressway Exit)

If you love craft beer, this little local bar is what you’ve been looking for: The Bent elbow offers 40 Taps of Ontario and World Class Craft Beer. Plus over 50 Bottles of One offs, Hard to Find Selections and Trappist Ales.  They even make beer signature desserts!

Rhapsody Barrel Bar:

Located at:  179 King Street W, Kitchener, downtown Kitchener 
This venue offers something unique nightly!  They are a great little space to listen to some music or watch an up and coming comedian. Whisky or wine pairings with their unique menu full of small tapas, tacos or sliders.  This is a great place to meet friends and enjoy some music on a nightly basis.  Check their calendars often for what is happening, it’s always different!

Death Valley’s Little Brother (DVLB):

Located at:  84 King Street N, Uptown Waterloo

This little shop is full of all those things you know you shouldn’t have in excess, coffee bar during the day, buttery bread and an extensive Whisky bar in the evening.  This is a great spot to end your night with a stiff nightcap and swap some stories!

Graffiti Market: 

Located at:  137 Glasgow Street, located in the Catalyst Buidling

This is the space Kitchener Waterloo has been waiting for and it offers all that we’ve been craving!  You start your experience at an interactive table where you can place your order right from the table, play games or even watch the kitchen in live time making your delicious meal!  Looking to enjoy a beer, they brew fouor in house and you can even take some home with you.  Looking for a lighter morning, they also brew their own coffee and bake pastries and breads onsite.  This location is worth a stop for a coffee, a drink, a fantastic meal or even just to see the art and the new electronic ordering tables!

Pin up Arcade Bar

Located at:  247 King Street N (King & University)

If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia, stop into Pin Up Arcade bar for some adult beverages and some good old fashioned fun like we had at the old school arcade when we were kids!  This is a great hangout spot to bring old friends and new and if you go during the day, you can even bring your kids and introduce them to the games you played as a kid!

White Rabbit

Located at:  47 King Street North (Uptown Waterloo)

Carefully crafted cocktails and food is what you’ll find at White Rabbit, they have an impressive bar selection and wonderful food options and specials.  Offering up specials such as all you can eat mussels, $10 lunch and Flights and bites with five different beers and five bites for just $20.  Open until 2am, this is a wonderful stop for those who enjoy a well-planned cocktail and a tasty bite!

Arabella Park Beer Bar

Located at:  740 Belmont Avenue W (Belmont Village)

I would say Arabella park in one of the reasons that Belmont village is having a resurgence of great spots to spend time and enjoy some beverages.  With 18 rotating beer taps featuring some of the Regions best local beer and ciders as well as other great microbrews, this bar is a fantastic place to enjoy and old favourite or discover a new brew.  While you’re there, make sure to get some fries, they are fantastic too!

Keep your Floors Clean for Bare Feet

With Spring finally here,  more and more buyers are looking at homes and are wearing sandals.  While you may wear summer shoes in your home, buyers feel it’s rude to leave their shoes on in your home, so they take them off and are left with bare feet.

I urge everyone who has their home for sale in the summer to do the barefoot test.  Take a walk around your home like you are a potential buyer in your bare feet and make sure that nothing sticks to your feet, that your feet don’t stick to anything and that your home in general feels clean. 

Areas that I commonly find to be a concern are front entrances, make sure that if you do wear your shoes in the house that you aren’t leaving sand and dirt particles at your front door, a barefoot visitor will grab these on their feet as their first and last impressions.  Basements, all buyers go into the basement, even if you don’t go there a lot, so make sure even your furnace or utility room is clean.  Another basement area that can feel very dirty to bare feet is a kitty litter area, I’ve often walked into a basement and ended up with kitty litter on my feet from little fluffy walking it around the basement.  I would suggest a small carpet outside of your kitty litter box for fluffy to wipe his paws on before he treks it all over the basement.

Buyers will also step outside of your home, into the garage or onto the deck, so make sure those areas are swept up as well.  All areas of your home, inside and out need your attention, not only in the summer, but all year round.
Another item that can set off barefoot buyers is sticky kitchen floors, if you have children I’m sure a spilled drink it common, but in a buyers mind, a sticky floor is dirty and a dirty floor can mean a dirty home which causes them to wonder what else has been left unattended.

Before your home is ready for sale, make sure all areas of your home are bare foot tested and ready for those summer buyers.

Business Spotlight 

Business of the Week - La Cucina 

If you haven’t been to visit La Cucina in downtown Kitchener yet, you’re missing some of the best pizza in the Region!  This warm and cozy spot is one of our favourite spots for a random Tuesday date night, a great place to bring friends for a fantastic dinner out or even great for a special occasion.

 Why do I like this spot so much?  I love great Italian food and George appreciates a thin crust pizza.  While I don’t have the pizza, George craves it like nothing else in town and we have to go here often to get his fix!  Here’s what he likes about the pizza, the pizza oven is located in plain sight in the restaurant and you can watch your masterpiece being made, the ingredients are fresh and the crust is perfectly thin.  When the pizza comes to your table, it’s still bubbling hot and smells so good!  If you’re looking for a different pizza, they have so many varieties and Tuesday is Pizza night, all pizzas are only $13
 

If you prefer pasta, like I do, the pasta at La Cucina is incredible, all made in house and with homemade sauces and many ingredients imported to Italy.  We visited Italy in 2016 and La Cucina is as close as we’ve come to enjoying meals like we did in Italy.
 

To start I would suggest the Caesar salad, always fresh and crisp with nice and crunchy croutons.  If you’re looking for something to share, they have some incredible Antipasti plates with fresh meats, cheeses, and even house made porchetta!
 

The atmosphere at the restaurant is inviting, cozy and they have great tables for two that are intimate or space for family and friends to gather and enjoy a wonderful evening out.  If you love Italian food in a great atmosphere, La Cucina will not disappoint, you’ll be proud to have introduced your friends and family to this wonderful downtown Kitchener gem!