Photo Karen Graham.
Micro-greens in Quonset hut.
Who doesn’t miss the experience of local farmers’ markets this time of year? More so now, when we see produce shelves with items showing a bit of wear after an extra-long trip to the grocery store. While you can’t purchase berries or stone fruit from local sources right now, there are a number of ways to reconnect with some of your favourite local food producers and remind yourself of the summer market experience that is still a few months away.
Photo Karen Graham.
Staples’ Maple Syrup.
Many of our local producers sell at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market which moves into the Morrow building behind the Memorial Centre from November until May. On Saturday mornings, you can find local chicken, pork, apples, root vegetables, maple syrup and preserves from local sources. Several Millbrook Market vendors including Clements’ Poultry and Orchards, Pinewynd Farms, Beauty by Taste and participate regularly. Other local products come from Cavan’s Staples Maple Syrup, Brown’s farm that hails from Pontypool, and Rice Lake Hard Cider.
Closer to home, other producers participate in the local REKO group. Designed to create a direct relationship between customers and small scale producers, this group attracts vendors who advertise goods they have available for sale each week through a Facebook page. Customers pre-order their products and meet in the parking lot of the Old Millbrook School on Thursday evenings to pick up their purchases. Orders are binding and most are pre-paid via e-transfer but some vendors also accept cash payment. At the moment some vendors participate every other week. There are six vendors offering products at this time of year, including French’s Beef, Littleleaf Farms offering micro-greens, Beauty Through Taste (jams, pickles, relish, etc), Clement Poultry and Orchards (chicken and apples),Yellowlees Family Farm (pork /lamb), and Knoxvilla Farms (honey, granola) which participates occasionally at the moment. During warmer seasons, the group boasts twenty vendors.
Photo Karen Graham.
Clement’s apples and chicken.
Puddleduck Farms is moving away from the community-supported agricultural model and setting up an on-line store for their products, explaining that the flexibility will work better for both sides of the transactions. Customers can sign up for a weekly email outlining what the farm has to offer which will include produce, honey, maple syrup and more.
Photo Karen Graham.
Brown’s Farm’s root vegetables.
Some producers sell directly from their farms during the off-season, including Silver Creek Farms which offers ethically raised beef cuts from the freezer at their Millbrook location. Visit their Facebook page or email them a silvercreekfarms@icloud.ca.
Photo Karen Graham.
Local apples.
It may be more work than doing a one-stop shop at a large grocery store, but buying local, even during off-season, comes with its own rewards. Buying directly from producers provides the opportunity to encourage local self-sufficiency and support small-scale producers who often operate with more ethical and sustainable production values. Think of it as a local version of Fair Trade. KG
