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Nova Scotia’s Bountiful Harvest Seasons
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Nova Scotia’s Bountiful Harvest Seasons

Nova Scotia is a coastal paradise for food and drink lovers alike. With a rich agricultural and fishing heritage, a flourishing wine scene, and a farmers’ market around every turn – it’s easy to indulge in amazing, hyper-local flavours.

Home to the largest food film festival in the world, Devour!, and our very own appellation wine, savouring our bounty from land and sea offers more than an experience for your taste buds. Nova Scotia is ready for you, with incredible places and natural environments to explore, and local stories and insights from experts in their craft.

Vineyards & Wineries

Nova Scotia has a long history of growing grapes for wine, dating back to the 1600s. Harvesting typically takes place between mid-September and the end of October. With 17 wineries across the province offering stunning coastal views, magnificent architecture, hyper-local and delicious culinary, and award-winning wines – the hard part is picking where to go first in Nova Scotia’s Wine Country.

Wherever your heart leads you first, be sure to indulge in a glass of Nova Scotia’s very own appellation wine, Tidal Bay!

Relax and indulge with comfortable transportation and expert tour guides on a guided winery tour or hop aboard the Magic Winery Bus in Wolfville for a unique wine tour itinerary.

Follow the Nova Scotia Good Cheer Trail for a fun mix of adventure and learning, as you gather stamps for your passport.

U-Picks, Farm and Farmers’ Markets

Take a scenic drive to one of over 40 u-picks and farm and farmers’ markets around the province. Spend the day exploring orchards and gardens, getting to know the growers and makers. Whether you choose to pick it yourself, tour around, or just shop; you’ll be amazed by the variety of delicious flavours!

Noggins Corner Farm Market U-Pick offers harvest season fun for everyone! Take a wagon ride to the orchards to choose from 15-varieties of apples or explore the farm to U-Pick flowers, herbs, and pumpkins. Conquer the corn maze or stroll along the 3km walking trail. Visit the onsite market store to buy fresh produce, Noggins cider, local meats, cheese, baked good and more to enjoy later.

Dempsey’s Corner Orchards offers 12 varieties of cherries, 57 varieties of apples, and a wide variety of other fruits and vegetables. Savour homemade baked goods at the tea room and market, take a wagon ride and U-pick until U-drop, or visit the baby animals in the petting zoo.

Blueberries

You can’t have traditional Nova Scotia blueberry grunt without Nova Scotia wild blueberries! Fresh or frozen wild blueberries can be found throughout Nova Scotia mid-late summer and into the early fall. Check out Blueberry Acres in Centreville or Hackmatack Farm at Lunenburg County Winery for the highbush blueberry variety!

Nova Scotia Christmas Trees

Nova Scotia is the perfect climate for growing Balsam Fir trees, a popular species of tree commonly known as the traditional Christmas tree. Visit the many Christmas Tree u-picks like Scothorn Farms near Milford Station, Randy’s U-Pick Christmas Trees in East Dalhousie, and Kevin’s U-Cut near Bridgewater to kick-off the holiday festivities and to cut down your own Christmas tree!

Lobster

With lobster season running 10 months of the year, lobster is a Nova Scotia essential! Check out the Lobster Trail showcasing over 25 restaurants where you can experience everything from traditional lobster dinners and lobster rolls, to lobster poutine, creamed lobster, lobster fondue and lobster tacos.

Visit the South Shore region in February for the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl, a month-long festival of lobster that concludes on Lobster Day, February 28, honouring our lobster fishery heritage and culture.

Maple Syrup

‘Sugar season’ takes place between the end of February up to late April but you can enjoy Nova Scotia maple year-round by connecting with our maple farmers and their delicious products, or by exploring the magnificent and colourful maple woods each fall.

Visit Sugar Moon Farm Friday to Sunday throughout the fall, winter and spring, or any day of the week in the summer and enjoy a delicious maple brunch, tour the sugar camp, and stock up on your favourite maple products. Hike or snowshoe the nearby 6.2km looped Rogart Mountain Trail. Surround yourself with the lush beauty of ferns, sugar maple, white spruce and yellow birch as you tour through Sugar Moon’s maple forest. This trail passes by 17 interpretive sites and Jane’s Waterfall.

Visit Acadian Maple Products in Tantallon, near Peggy’s Cove, to taste and bring home a variety of maplelicious products like maple coffee, maple BBQ sauce, and Nova Scotia distilled spirits, including maple vodka and maple rum!

Herbs and Flowers

Wander through fields of lavender, taking in the floral aroma at Seafoam Lavender. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on site under the covered pavilion, overlooking the ocean. Be sure to shop direct-from-the-farm, small batch lavender products, like lavender and maple chocolate truffles, lavender jelly, and lavender ice cream.

Visit Tangled Garden in Grand Pré to discover savoury herb jellies and cordials, fruit and herb infused liqueurs, mustards, chutneys, honeys and more. Indulge in lavender or rose petal ice cream while winding through the three-acre herb and sculpture garden. Relax on a meditative walk in the wildflower labyrinth overlooking the Landscape of Grand Pré UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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