Perth Farmer's Market Seed Sale

The Crystal Palace!

Perth, Ontario, is the best place I've ever been for organic products. This past Sunday (March 6th) was a seed sale, organized by the Farmer's Market. What a great opportunity for me.

I miss my old garden. I'll let you know in Spring what I now grow.

My parents grew iris, daffodils, canterbury bells, thousands of forget-me-nots, and I planted a dozen or more lilies. I harvested some of the flower seeds, as best I could. Here is Guinivere, sitting amongst her lilies at the old place. Here she is situated now.

I'm glad we brought her along. Not sure what she is surrounded by in THIS garden! (Right now it is snow!)

The Farmer's Market is usually held in the Crystal Palace. What a beautiful spot! We visited last fall (see the photo, left!), when we first moved here. There was a chili sale, with proceeds for the food bank. All kinds of chili, from hot, to mild, to vegetarian.

This sale, however, was at the Legion, which we had to find, first!


There was a table for trade. I tossed all the seeds from my Dad, that I brought from our old garden, into the new beds. Lord knows what the squirrels and deer have eaten!

At this sale were organic seeds, and heritage seeds from the region. I like that. We buy most of our meat at Foodsmith's, where we can be locavores, and support local farmers.

A seed sale at the Legion, with real seeds growing! They were so beautiful.
My Dad had Sweet William (AKA stinky Billy!) in his garden, they reseeded every year. They grew like crazy.

Years of Sweet William,
And daffodils in spring.
I have no idea what this
New garden will bring.

A new chapter will turn
As seasons they burn
I know I will learn
To fight deer who yearn.

New friends from the Horticultural Society!
They work with children in schools, as well.

'Hamilton Market goes locavore at expense of local immigrants'

Orillia, ON

I seldom read Macleans. It is simply too slick for me. The stories are too short, and not geared to me and my target market. Scuse the pun. They sent Joe a copy to encourage him to buy it. (Magazines are desperate for more subscriptions, in order to retain advertiser dollars. They are selling at incredible rates.)

The Hamilton (Ontario) Market (I've been in the 1980s!) used to have new immigrants with produce to present a world view. They closed the market for upgrade to meet code, and reopened without allowing the previous venders (who had Vietnamese, Sicilian, different cultural foods based on immigration)

Bala Market beekeeper

"The son of Sicilian immigrants, his family has had a stall at the market for almost 50 years." 


He wasn't allowed to reopen with the new locavore mindset and rules for vendors. This works in Yuppieville, perhaps, and works for one man...Darren Barefoot. But he's in Vancouver.

Then there is Vancouver!

But this is going too far for a place like Hamilton. And I don't think it should be where we are headed.

From Macleans:

The catch was the new Soviet-style application procedure that required vendors to “itemize each particular kind of produce/foodstuff sold, and to write a paragraph on how their business promoted the market and the city of Hamilton.” Priority was given to vendors whose goods are grown using “natural” or organic methods, and produced within a 100-mile radius of the market. That’s right: the Hamilton Farmer’s Market was rebranding, pitching itself at the yuppie constituency that has transformed the traditional farmers’ market into a place where highbrow vendors sell artisanal cheese, boutique lavender, hipster cupcakes, and organic bread.

Gravenhurst Market

I've visited the Perth, Gravenhurst, Bala, Huntsville, Rosseau  Markets, etc. They are adamant, since they take place in the summer, that products sold are ONLY local goods. THis makes sense for a summer market and produce, but sends me ballistic for other reasons. 

Market Produce

For example, Muskoka Hospice was selling some products as a fundraiser. Locally made bird houses. I offered them free copies of my book for a tax receipt for me, and profit for them. No go, since the Muskoka market rules only permit individuals to sell their individual products. Hospice had a co-op student working the booth for them. Since she hadn't written the book she couldn't sell it. That said, there were many authors forced to sell their one book, while paying full price for a booth. I couldn't afford that.




I wonder how far this locavore movement will take us? I believe we should be incorporating this into our practices, but with a day like today (-25 C. at dawn) it is impossible to sell local fruits and veggies except seasonally. I think we are doing ourselves more harm by limiting such vendors. We need to take a more Global view. This is a different story than Cheap-Mart, and their practices of undermining local businesses.

Perth Market bread

I avoid Cheap-mart like the plague. There may be those who want to buy inferior products, with manufacturers forced by this big box store to produce cheaply made goods, to make poorly made products. You must read The Wal-Mart Effect: 

How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy, for the back story. 

Outsourcing is a seriously wicked result of their business practices. It's the reason for the type of backlash in many states, whereby American citizens resent migrant workers, for example, for being eligible for healthcare. It is the reason why product recall after product recall from China continues to illustrate the serious moral and health issues that result from outsourcing. 


I suggest we buy locally, if possible, but we must honour those who have immigrated and introduced Canadians to Mexican, Italian, Vietnames foods. It is the reason why we enjoy a variety of people and their cultures, but sourced by those who contribute to our economy. An indoor market, like the Hamilton Market, has such a wonderful history.

Gravenhurst Market

It's beginning to look like a lot...

Show your world!

  like Christmas! 

Early morning snow began falling

We've been cutting wood, trying to make good use of the dead elms that dot the property. Dutch Elm Disease, so sad.

They look yellow.
I don't know if that is the fungus...the grassy hillock of sumac seem affected. We'll see in spring.

By nightfall - lovely frosted spruce trees

By 11:00 last night, I peeked outdoors after the snow had stopped falling. Great huge snowflakes. You know the kind. Big puffy flakes, looking like a meeting of snow crystals.

It piled up quickly, small fractals all getting together in the atmosphere. When all got the memo: 'Winter time. Give 'em what you've got!' they fell in concert.

The sugar coating on the green pines is glorious.

The wind next morning blew it all away.

 Leaving behind tracks in the snow of deer and birds and rebel cats.

deer friends

 Prepping for Christmas, digging out the red and green, has been good.

mouse tracks on the step

The 'season of giving'

Five Easy Ways YOU Can Rethink the Season of Giving - Stepcase Lifehack 
Not a bad post.

Prompted by a tweet from Volunteer Canada, they said you can't volunteer at a food bank, or Christmas meal in November or December. They are booked with volunteers well ahead. That made me think.
Today is International Volunteer day.

Perth: Dignity Day Hospice
McMartin House

The Spirit of the Season is wrong. We should be good-hearted and willing to share of ourselves year-round. The food banks, for example,  need our help all the time, since many choose not to donate at other times.

I give monthly to organizations, such as the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Kiva.org has been a wonderful place for microloans.

I loathe going through cash checkouts where they ask me to donate $2 to some cause or another. Nope! I make my choices, and select charities whose practices I know and understand.

Period Greeter

R. Kerem - corn brooms

wool

We were glad to help, and buy some sweet gifts. This is part of being a locavore. Buying locally, where possible.

B & D Jehu - soaps, candles

With local producers and a fabulous organic grocery store, we feel blessed. We can buy local goods, meat, wonderful natural personal products.

Coutts farm is a 4th generation famiuly farm located 8 KMs south east of Perth on County Road 18. They produce a wide variety of maple syrup products, naturally raised beef, vegetables, preserves, jams and home baking.

local emu breeder 

We volunteer our time. With life experiences, we can share what we have learned with people who need our help. This is priceless.

Many do so, as well.

Grannies Helping Grannies
We donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.org

Grannies helping Grannies, in Perth, sponsored a booth at a recent fair. Donations to Stephen Lewis Foundation.

For Isabelle Coccinelle!
Shhhh! It's a surprise. 

But, back to the wonderful Perth event.
We spotted some nice things from Sundance Studio, in Maberly.


Then, we bought some secret things, from someone who lives and works just down the road from us. Handcrafted Children's Wear, by Madeleine Hollingsworth. Beautiful fabrics.

Then, the products by Emu & You. Lovely soaps, meats and crafts; the painted eggs are fragile and gorgeous.

Dagmar Sagat