Private: Blog & Recipes Archive

It’s time to meet another one of our vendors, Joyce Farm! I’m sure most of you already know Heather Joyce and have been buying fresh fruits and vegetables from her for years, as they have been with us for a long time!

But did you know that owners Mike and Heather weren’t always farmers? In fact, they were both city-raised right here in London. In 1986, they bought their farm in Bothwell and haven’t looked back!

Heather loves to watch things grow and work with her hands, but feels most content when she hears how happy her customers are and how much they love the taste of what the Joyces grow, which includes a wide variety of produce such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes, corn, beans, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, peppers, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

“We try our best to buy the best seeds we can,” writes Heather. “We have tried buying many different seeds through the years and because we grow to sell to people personally at our markets, we pride ourselves in the flavour, not always the prettiest.”

The soil the Joyces grow on is sandy loam, a type of soil that doesn’t retain a lot of water. Since it doesn’t rain often at the farm, this can be a challenge. Heather writes that weather is one of their main concerns as farmers and this is why, while we’re happy to have had so many dry Saturdays for our farmers’ markets, we’re thankful when it rains!

The Joyces not only sell at our Farmers’ Market, but also have two markets in the city and one at their farm. They love markets because of the ability to interact directly with their customers, and enjoy selling at our Farmers’ Market for the same reason, and also to interact with other farmers who understand and share the struggles of farming.

Make sure to stop at their stand at the market this Saturday to meet the farmers behind your food, and say hello to Heather, her sister Laurie (you probably won’t see Joyce Farm at our market without her!), and Heather’s grandson! Family is integral to Joyce Farm – especially when it comes to flavour testing! (Check out that cute photo of Heather’s granddaughter taste testing their sweet corn!)

This is the list, folks! See who you can find at the Farmers’ Market this Saturday, August 29th! Click on their names to find information on pre-orders and to learn more about their farms and businesses!

• Sungold Market Garden, fresh produce
• Orchard Hill Farm, fresh produce
• Greystead Gardens, fresh produce
• Thames River Melons, fresh produce
• Joyce Farms,fresh produce
• The Corn Crib, fresh sweet corn
• Blanbrook Bison Farm, bison
• Den Besten’s Rainbow Trout Farm, fresh smoked trout
• Dave’s Beef & Lamb, beef and lamb
• Carver’s Natural Farms, chicken and gourmet garlic
• Wandering Bee Flowers, fresh cut flowers
• Lynch Maple Farm, maple syrup and products
• La Houlette de Vie, Seth’s bread and pastries
• Morsels, fresh baked goods
• International Bakery, fresh baked goods
• C’Angelina, meat pies, artisan sausages, Italian preserves
• The Whole Grain Hearth, fresh baked goods
• The Welsh Baker, fresh baked goods 

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

Live Music (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.): Jesse Grandmont