Posted : May 18, 2022
Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.
Hello friends. My name is Zelda, and I am a zebu. What? You have never heard of a zebu before?! Well, let me tell you all about us. We zebus are a breed of cattle. My ancestors originated from the Indian sub-continent, where they were domesticated working animals. I am actually a miniature zebu, and today, me and my friends are mostly pets because of how adorable we are.
I live at Pingle’s Farm Market with my two zebu friends, Zeya and Spartacus, as well as a farmyard full of goats, sheep, bunnies, ducks and chickens. People come from all over to our little Durham hamlet of Hampton to shop at the year-round farm market and to have a whole lot of farm fresh fun. What better fun is there than to watch us farm animals enjoying our home and living our best life?
And our best life it truly is. Twice a day our favourite person, Kaitlyn, brings us our grain for breakfast and dinner. We also get fresh hay in our feeder, and we have access to a beautiful pasture with lots of delicious grass to munch on and space to roam as we like. So, our days are filled with fresh air, country smells and just hanging out with one another. You see? Best life ever!
We Pingle’s zebus are a good-natured trio. We are curious and interactive with people who come up to our fence to chat with us. That’s our job, in fact, but it never feels like work, because we enjoy being near people. Because I am the oldest zebu, I am just a bit more docile than Zeya and Spartacus (but don’t tell them I said so!). I even tolerate little Spark. He’s a baby goat here on the farm who has become very attached to Kaitlyn. When she goes from pen to pen on her feeding rounds, Spark follows along at her heels. When Kaitlyn comes into our pen, Spark will sit right in my grain bucket. I sniff at him to say, “Hey, what are you doing in my food?” But he’s just a baby, and to be honest, he’s pretty darn cute, so I can’t be too annoyed with him for sitting on my food.
As it happens, I have a second job here on the farm. I don’t think it’s an official job, mind… I sorta gave it to myself (hehe). But it’s a pretty important one. I am the Chief Apple Sampler! I have made it my mission to be the first one of us to sample the delicious apples that Kaitlyn brings for us. We do love us some good apples for a tasty snack. Quality control is important, so when I hear Kaitlyn cutting up our apples, I am the first one to the fence to make sure they are the tastiest and the freshest… for the little ones’ sake, of course.
You can imagine that, with a huge apple orchard on the farm, the end of august marks my busiest season as the Chief Apple Sampler. I take my job very seriously at that point—with so many apples to run quality control on, my ears and my zebu chompers have to be up to the task.
All About Pingle’s Farm Market
Welcome to Pingle’s, a family-run farm which has been a “shop local” Durham Region favourite for over 30 years. This 148-acre farm experience is located just east of the City of Oshawa, and hosts pick-your-own apples, strawberries, asparagus, pumpkins and sunflowers. Bring the kids for a romp in Pingle’s Playland and to see the animals (including our friend, Zelda the zebu), and be sure to shop the year-round farm market for freshly baked goods, locally grown fruits, vegetables and proteins, made-in-house entrees and other goodies. Don’t miss events like Pingle’s Campfires, Christmasfest, or Pingle’s famous Harvest Festival.
Pingle’s Farm Market
1805 Taunton Rd. E., Hampton
