Blog

Farm Like a Mother

Happy Thursday! It's been a rainy week, but we're seeing only a sprinkle forecasted for this evening so we hope to see you all soon from 4-7! This past Saturday, we met Hallie, who works for Ellen at Orchard Hill Farm. You may have noticed she was wearing a snazzy blue sweatshirt that said "Farm Like a Mother." Ellen designed these t-shirts and sweatshirts and we absolutely love them, especially their message.

Why that particular message? Well, here’s what Ellen wrote about it in her newsletter this week!

“[The shirts] say Farm Like a Mother – I thought about this a lot over the past year – Jess was pregnant, we work with my mother, and she’s caring for her mother, my grandmother.

Farming is a lot like parenting – you plant the seed and nurture that tiny little plant, trying to give it what it needs to succeed every step of the way. You’re responsible for their life, but it’s also this miracle that’s out of your hands and their life is their own.

And sometimes you have to be tough, because you know they can take it and they’ll come out the other side stronger, or you can see that they’re having a hard time and you can only do so much, and they have to do the rest. It’s challenging but rewarding, heart plumping but a little gritty.

This is a take on farming I had never considered before, but it’s a wonderful one. Mothers are superheroes! With two new babies in our Market Family this year, we’ve had a closer look at how much Mothers do, and how important they are. We see mothers everywhere at Market – mothers who are our vendors, mothers of our vendors who come to Market with their children, mothers who shop at the Market, mothers who work for the Market. We would not be here without our own mothers, and our Farmers’ Market would not be here without the many mothers who make it what it is.

Less than 30% of farm operators are women. Let’s all help encourage women and provide them the tools they need to take on this pursuit and farm like a mother!

Food Drive

This Saturday, we’re hosting a food drive for FRESH food! Not often is this possible where fresh and perishable items can be donated for a food drive, but we are up for the challenge!

After the Market at 1pm, the London Food Bank will be picking up all of the food and using it for meals and more for our many community members. We are so thankful for their help!

What can you do? Look out for the donation area from 8am to 1pm, Outside on the Market Square, and place your fresh food donation items inside. These can be anything from kale to tomatoes to pumpkins, and we’ll also accept non-perishables if you have them. Anything purchased fresh or anything still fresh from home, is welcome.

Cooking Class

Last week’s cooking class was led by Emily Griffin, one of our vendors! Emily made an eggplant parmesan with fresh noodles from Elgin Harvest. We learned some tips on how to use wine in cooking and prolong the life of your cooking wine, among many other helpful information relating to cooking eggplant, fresh noodles vs dried, using herbs, creating a tomato sauce, and more!

This week, we have chef Anna Carroll leading our cooking class! She will be preparing Fall Pasta, two ways: a Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and a Turkey, Fennel, and Eggplant Pasta. See you there at 5pm!

Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre

This Saturday, we will have Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre joining us at Market! As their name indicates, Salthaven is a haven for wildlife who need rehabilitation support, and an education center to share information to help us understand what we can do to offset the dilemma of Canadian wildlife populations.

Find them at the Market from 8-1. They will be bringing by a Wildlife Ambassador, likely a small falcon (Chaukar), for about an hour sometime during the day, and selling honey harvested by our very own Becky from Entangled Roots.

Proof of Vaccination

As per the Ontario mandate, we are now required to implement some changes requiring proof of vaccination. Please see below:

  • We are NOT required to ask for proof of vaccination for:
    • the Outdoor Farmers’ Market
    • Outdoor seating and dining
    • Entering the Indoor Market
    • Walking through the Indoor Market to access Outdoors
    • Indoor shopping, ordering of food, etc.
    • Indoor washroom use

 

  • We ARE required to ask for proof of vaccination for:
    • Indoor seating and dining

If you do not plan to sit Indoors to eat, you will not have to provide proof of Vaccination.

Thank you! We hope to see you at the Market soon!

Thursday Vendor List

This is the list, folks! See who you can find at the Farmers’ Market this Thursday, September 23rd from 4-7pm! Click on their names to find information on pre-orders and to learn more about their farms and businesses!

Check out their websites for more information about their products and to see what’s in season/currently available!

Saturday Vendor List

This is the list, folks! See who you can find at the Farmers’ Market this Saturday, September 25th from 8am-1pm! Click on their names to find information on pre-orders and to learn more about their farms and businesses!

Check out their websites for more information about their products and to see what’s in season/currently available!

  • Live Music: 10am to 1pm: Leanne Mayer, Mike Trudgen and Frank Reynoso
  • Live Artist: 10am to 1pm: Kerri Jerome (Clay Artist)
  • Community Event: Food Drive 8am to 1pm