U know we like to say “Come and see why Maize Valley IS the Place to Be!” Well we try and make Great Wine…FUN!! Life is just too darn short to take too much too seriously! Yes we are a winery but we are so much more. Maize Valley is Northeast Ohio’s most complete Fall Harvest Destination. No we don’t “pose” or “primp” what we do is deliver good times. It get’s a little crazy around here in late September and October but we “Bring it” and it shows.
We will put the quality of our wines up against any in the state if your worried we are just a bunch of Rednecks not concerned about producing a top notch product. But we also don’t worry too much about sacrificing the “quality of life” just to bring mearly “product” to the table. Life is great down on the farm and we love to share it during the harvest season.
We are unique that is true, we offer corn mazes, pumpkin picking, wagon rides, NASHOG pig races, a giant straw crawl, kids play area, an animal pasture complete with goat feeding ramps, great indoor sitdown food, outdoor “walking food”, a LARGE barrel pumpkin cannon, and even a haunted attraction too! And there is more. You can also check out our Face Book Carnage in the Corn if ya like too!
The Carnage in the corn maze is a seperate attraction from the main Megasaurus corn maze, but talk to us and we can bundle things together, offer group pricing, food, campfires, wagon rides are included in pricing the hours you can spend with us can get long but always are fun. Carnage is designed to fun for all ages. Check back or check in with us for special packages like “sip and scare” and more.
We raise 52 crops on 700 acres, but our most important and perishable crop is our 53rd crop….FUN! You can always go back and get more wine, but you can’t go back and make more time!
Maize Valley Farm Market and Winery will be “Bringing it” again this fall with our fall harvest of fun!
It’s been a while since I “blogged it out” here sorry! Been pretty busy with the Face Book account so if you havn’t seen that be sure and check it out too.
So what’s coming up down on the farm??? What isn’t? At Maize Valley we farm about 700 acres. On this soil we produce about 52 different crops. But our 53rd and most important crop is FUN! That all comes to a head in September and October. Wagon rides, pumpkins and so much more. Corn mazes with interactive games, pig races, pumpkin cannon’s, and more make Maize Valley your most complete fall harvest destination.
We have a balloon lift off, an art show, a car crushing fire breathing metal dinasour and of course our way too fun haunted corn maze too. The list goes on, there is pretty much something for everyone at Maize Valley.
Couples, families, corporate groups, church organizations are just a few of the friends we have stop by and visit with us throughout the year but especially during the fall harvest season. Some have been returning for over a decade now.
Did I mention that you should come hungry? Yep we got your back there too. From inside the winery and market cafe’ with a very extensive menu to more of a “walking style” out door fair we have something for you at fair prices. We want you to spead the word, not walk away with sticker shock.
For 2010 the corn maze opens Sept. 18th the balloon lift is Sept. 25th, the Haunted corn maze opens Oct. 1st. That get’s you started please visit our web page for complete details.
Well I say it many times yes this blog is called Ohio Wine and More. You might say we R a winery with ADHD most of the time. You see we came from the agricultural world of dairy cattle, grain farming and vegtable production then direct farm marketing and agritourism. Maize Valley has evolved over the years to meet emerging opportunities the best we can.
So what has that got to do with wine you ask? Well we do have fun here. We say there are many places you can go and have a very nice time, but come to Maize Valley when you want to have fun. Last year our dry red blend won Double concordance gold at the Ohio Wine competition. This spring our Red Raspberry made from our own home grown Red Raspberries did the same at the Finger Lakes Wine Comp. Plus dozens of other medals from other respected shows and competitions. But we don’t take that too seriously or ourselves.
You can always go back and buy more wine, you can’t go back and make more time. So we do things still like haunted corn mazes pumpkin cannons, pig races and more. We make a great product but serve it with a flash. So come and see why Maize Valley is the place to be. If you don’t care for the stuff mentioned above that’s cool just chill with great food or wine in the market and cafe’, It’s all good!
See below how we start the prep for this years haunted corn maze adventure. Come and see why Maize Valley IS the place to BE!
Every few years we try and keep up with that “overhead” work that pays in the long run and this is one of those jobs. It isn’t cheap to put in drain tile but it pays you back in the long haul. Sometimes in better yields sometimes just making a field usable in the first place. Plus it helps for just overall better plant health in both wet and dry years by helping to balance the air/water ratios in the soil.
One reason for Ohio Wine and More to post this is that before you plant a vineyard especially in Ohio you really need to be sure your soil is well drained. With the exception of very few locations especially with the advent of so many new wineries going in across the state most locations are going to need to have a machine such as this one come in and do the prep work. In most cases for vineyard establishment you need to put the drain tile in every 8 to 10 feet to achieve maximum benefit and return on investment. It costs about $1.00 per installed foot so when you are talking ten’s of thousands of feet it can get a bit expensive!
It has been a pretty warm and dry spring so far. You never know if that is a good thing or not. It is great to get out and get some work done early but also if it get too warm too early bad things can happen too. Such as an early bud break in the vineyard that leads to all sorts of problems. Last year we got frozen in late May and that pretty much killed the grape harvest for the year.
We have lots on tap this year in the way of locally produced vegtables, fruit, wine and good times at Maize Valley so keep in touch, and come and see why Maize Valley IS the place to BE!
From weddings at the “Ballroom” to raising greenhouse crops, and winter farmers’ markets and a record setting year in the winery tasting room and cafe’ It has been a busy winter! My father in law Kay is gearing up for a HUGE season at the farmers’ market where it looks like at least nine markets a week for us. Wine tastings from Geneva to Dayton to Sandusky and more will keep us occupied too. Plus all the great special events from years past plus a few more are on the horizon as well. You need to stop out and see why we say “Maize Valley IS the placet To BE!
I have been busy working our face book and twitter pages too so this blog sort of got the “hind tit” approach as they say in the world of raisin’ Hogs! But all in all it has been a good winter too. Not too terrible cold with lots of snow cover really helped the grapes and they are looking fine. Now we just have to get through the rest of the spring and past any late frosts in May and we will be sitting pretty.
The video below is just one small snapshot of what is coming this summer at Maize Valley. Thanks for stopping by!
Boy winter started early, like I think it was somewhere around last June? Anyhow we are seeing some signs of spring here or there. Days getting longer, still daylight at 6:30 Wow! Our vines so far so good. Despite all the snow and cold it really has not been as extreme as it was last winter.
Last winter we had significant die back due to temp in the sub zero teens for an extended period. We did not have that this. The trick will still be to get past that late frost in May however. You can look back on last years posts for that disaster. But that is what we roll with here on the farm.
We are planting more grapes this spring, doing new crops in the greenhouse and some other unique things will be coming up in the field too! Look for us at area farmers’ markets and of course at the main market and winery with tons of new special events and cool tried and true trusted ones as well.
Here are a couple of videos one of the vineyard itself and one of the drive out to the vineyard in my pickup hope you enjoy.
Wines paired with the dinner are boxed and ready to go!
January 21 saw the first of our Vintner’s dinners at Maize Valley for 2010. They are reservation only dinners limited to 40 persons held on the third Thursday of every month. The menu and recipie for each dinner can be found by visiting our website. Reservations can be made by calling or e-mailing us in either case be sure to get a confirmation.
New wines, new food, new friends is how we like to put it for this event series. Our focus is on introducing guests to new wines and pair them with foods we feel are complementary. We hope our guests also meet new friends and enjoy learning more about food and wine along the way.
We try to feature items on the menu we either grow or source as local as possible while still maintaining high standard of quality. During the evening we explain a little about the pairings as well as some of the history surrounding our winery and family farm. Sometimes we just talk about the food other times we might even tell a story about how the Vaughan family has made a living with the land here in Marlboro township since the 1800′s. They have been school teachers, leather tanners, and farmers, you never know what might come to mind.
So please stop on by sometime, sit a spell, but no don’t take your shoes off, this is just a bit higher end than that!
It was suggested to me that from time to time I put in a personal note in the blog about who I am as the author of this blog called Ohio Wine and More from Maize Valley Farm Market and Winery. A way to get to know the person behind the story we tell of our family farm, market and winery.
We do a great deal of event based marketing, edgy stuff, we have wines with names like Red Neck Red, Hanky Panky and Big Red Pecker. We “push It” when it comes to marketing, I “Push It” in life. Over the past few years I have lost some loved ones and began to realize there is no guarentee when it comes to tomorrow.
When I became a young parent I sold my bikes, as I became a slightly older one I got one back. I love to ride. Backroad gravel, twisty turns, hard fast straights I love it all. I believe the best bike is the one that “moves” YOU the most no matter what the make.
I try and take this passion and extend it into the marketing we do at Maize Valley those of you who are our friends and guests I hope you appreciate that, I have fun doing it as I must be unemployeed as I love going to “Work”.
A little clove all tucked in for a long winters nap
Planting garlic
I have to say one thing about my father-in-law Kay, when get tries something he tries it big. Almost a quarter acre of garlic, REALLY! Well at least we will have a “Vampire free zone”or is that Werwolf Free ?! I remember when we row covered almost 8 acres of melons years ago for our first go around with melons, whoops! Worked good till the wind blew it off and we had kites the size of football fields.
Anyhow the point is we are not afraid to try new things at Maize Valley. I got Kay started more on these crops a few years ago when I asked him “do you want to try some farmers’” markets and he said yes. Well we needed to learn to grow a whole new mix of crops to adapt and succeed at direct markets.
New crops, smaller plantings, wider varities all came into play as we moved forward in this are and the garlic is just one example. Stop in our farm market and winery next year, we are going to have PLENTY of garlic!
