Signs of Summer.....

I’m sitting on my back porch as I type this. The kids are playing tic-tac-toe with chalk on the floor of the playhouse. The birds are dinning on their 6 o’clock meal, attempting to drown out the background noise of the city traffic. Certainly sounds and feels like summer even though my weather prediction was a bit off for last weekend at the market; we saw rain for most of the morning. We tried to will the rain away and by 9am and I thought we had succeeded when the skies broke for a brief period, but then the clouds rolled back in and stayed for the rest of the morning. (The early bird got the strawberries and it wasn't me - I didn't see them until this picture!)

And yet another busy day at the market- there is much discussion about the droves of people out to the market when the weather is unpleasant. It was the first time however that I received more than one request to ‘do something about the parking lot’. I suspect it had a little to do with the rain also but a few customers’ vehicles were trapped in the parking lot longer than they would have preferred. I am putting in a request to the Board of Management (which goes to City Council as the property is owned by the City of St. Thomas) to provide a resolution but in the meantime, please be courteous to other customers and don’t block any vehicles in. We ended up putting a pylon on top of the vehicles that needed to be moved in hopes of catching someone’s attention sooner rather than later. (Sorry S.L. :-() (Colourful picture of Spicer's doughnuts)

I also had a request from the last newsletter to include the address details of the market for those customers visiting from out of town. The newsletter is emailed as a direct update from the blog which includes all contact details at the bottom of the blog page but I realize not everyone hops over to the blog. I will be including that information at the end of the newsletter from now on. Also, a few have mentioned that their pictures/wording sometimes skews on the receiving end of this - I send this out through Google Groups using their strict guidelines for launching an email direct from the blog. I suspect that it could be on the receiver's server setup side of things??? I send a copy of this newsletter to 3 separate email addresses that I own (different web servers) and they all come through properly spaced. Keep me posted...
(Market fan Micah to the right enjoying the famous Horton Breakfast Sandwich combo)

We had 34 vendors at the market this past weekend of Queen Victoria’s birthday (to learn more about her, I highly recommend the movie Young Victoria – she was quite an amazing woman!). All of these things are positive signs of growth and expansion which is the energy of summer. Please continue to share your suggestions, thoughts, and ideas – there are many people who care greatly about this market, and it shows.

We have a few new vendors joining us this week – Jake and Anya from The Dutch Bakery of St. Thomas will be bringing apple fritters by the dozens – they will be inside. And Barb’s Brickle from Port Stanely will be there with traveling cart et al. The coffee guys (Jay and Greg) are adding tea to their venue for the tea drinkers in the crowd (Many Thanks). Danielle from Delightlyfully tea will not be returning to the market this season due to family commitments on her farm.

This weekend will be a first for me - I won’t be at the market! I am away the whole weekend for a meditation retreat so my Mom (Sandy to the right with Ray) and my Aunt (Patti to the far left sitting with Jim & Kathy Lumely) have agreed to hold down the fort while I’m gone. I’m pretty sure I acquired my gift for gab from these two ladies so they will fit right in. Say Hi if you see them and please feel free to have an extra breakfast sandwich for me.

Stay Cool,

Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

St. Thomas Horton Farmers Market
2 Manitoba Street, St. Thomas, ON

(1/2 block North of Giant Tiger on Talbot Street)
http://www.hortonfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/
519-777-9529

May Two Four Plant Sale....

I think we all have an internal time-clock that says it's not really planting time, pool opening time, picnic season, until May two four has arrived. As the weekend draws near, the temperature and the gas prices increase. I try not to get ahead of myself when predicting the weather but yesterday was lovely, today even warmer, so Saturday.......

The Horticulture Society is having the annual plant sale at the market this weekend. The fundraiser for Africa through the folks from Word & Deed are also back this weekend. I go through a list of hosta's with Peter from S-W Gardens every Saturday - hosta's being my favourite plant as they are low maintenance, can be split to fill in space, and are perenials. Then there are the beautiful hanging baskets at both Empire Valley and Erie Gardens. I'm not a big fan of gardening (there; I said it outloud - is that such a crime?), but I love plants and flowers at my house. Hence the joy of purchasing other peoples' joy of gardening - the hanging baskets mentioned above, and the potted herbs from Heritage Line Herbs.

The creativity overflows every Saturday morning as well. I love the new shelf idea McSmith's Organics rigged up! And I frequently stop by Moonstone Aromatheraphy Spa Products (inside) to inhale the scent of Jacqui's lavender and grapefruit scented bath salts. Spicer's was close to sold-out this past weekend too! They start out just literally overflowing from the racks and tables. We moved the coffee guys indoors - a better logistics plan for the breakfast sandwich combo (which saw 131 combos sold in four hours this past week!) I had the first sandwich off the grill for the 2010 season - my heart's at peace.....

Congratulations to Helena Clark who won the customer appreciation draw for this week. Keep smiling and look forward to seeing you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Better Weather this weekend...

As it probably couldn’t be much worse than last weekend – yet – we still had an amazing opening day! The 80km (so it felt) winds and rain that looked like S-N-O-W at times did not deter our record number of vendors – 32 to start! The pancake breakfast was yummy, the coffee was hot, and the Retreads serenaded us for most of the morning. Nice to see you all back.

The breakfast sandwich combo starts up again this weekend. Ray and Sandy from Farmgate Markets cook up this business venture using eggs from Frisa Farms, their famous Farmgate chemical free bacon or sausage patty on an English muffin, and coffee or juice to round out this amazing deal - $5 to start your morning. I have had withdrawal symptoms from the sandwich since November of last year – I may have to work up to my two count.

Bedding plants and potted herbs are available…. Another reason why the weather can only get better. We have gardening to do; flowers to grow. The folks from Word & Deed will be back on the long weekend with their plant sale as well as the group from the St. Thomas Horticultural Society with their annual plant sale.

We have a mandate for our farmers’ market where we define the term ‘local’ to be a 60 km geographical radius around the market. This includes vendors from London, Aylmer, Straffordville, Thamesford, and as even as far away as Woodstock. I mention this here as I see and hear many different interpretations of the term ‘local’. There are local business owners, local producers/manufacturers, and local service providers. Are the five or so Tim Horton’s local? What about Canadian Tire? And how about the local resident that has a business that retails product where more than 80% of it is manufactured somewhere else (not local; not Canadian). How do you define local? What factors do you consider in your purchasing decisions? Just a little extra food for thought.

Last week I came home from the market with muffins, vegan energy bars, honey, and quiche. There were many other items on my list that I didn’t get to that I have to stock up on this week – fresh pizza, asparagus, spinach, peppers, and potted herbs. It is so exciting to see that much of our grocery shopping can be done at the market first.

Congratulations to Coreyanna Van Laar who won the customer appreciation draw for this week. Remember to put your name in for the draw each week. The box is in the back foyer by the restrooms. Also, please forward this newsletter on to anyone else you know who is interested in fresh produce, a spirited atmosphere, and a connection to community and food. This newsletter is one of our most effective ways to stay in touch outside of market day. Thank you all for your continued feedback.

See you at the market!

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Opening Day In TWO sleeps.....

Or one more sleep if you happen to be reading this Friday a.m. (Market Season Begins May 8th; 8am - Noon)

We've primped and primed the building; vendors have been bringing in their shelves and signage. We've rolled out the carpets (okay, floor mats - but that's still exciting as Roto-Static of St. Thomas is sponsoring a large portion of that cost for the market this season!)

The supplies have been gathered and the volunteers scheduled - the pancake breakfast is sizzling. The invitation has been extended to several of our community representatives to help flip pancakes. Oegema's Turkey Shoppe is preparing the sausage; Plamers Maple Syrup have donated the syrup; Berry Hill Fruit Farm is bringing a strawberry compote for topping and the Bulk Barn generously donated the pancake mix. All of this pulled together by the volunteers of the promotions committee. Be sure to say Hi to those dedicated folks too. Thank you J.D. for all that you do.

Someone asked me this week where my lists were. I have taken so many phone calls, emails, visits, and meetings in the past week that the lists have gone out the window. We have many returning vendors, a few vendors have moved on to other cities or sold their business, and a few new faces you will be meeting over the next few Saturdays. In May, we average 24 vendors and building up to average of 40 during peek months of September and October.

Those vendor numbers do not include groups that come to the market who are not revenue generating groups. The Public Library staff, for example, enjoyed their time at the market so much last year, they are returning for two Saturdays each month this season. They bring books for loan and can scan on the spot so don't forget your library card.

We also have fundraising groups that only attend one or two times during the season but are a big draw for customers. The Seniors Center is bringing fresh baked pies this weekend - perfect for anyday, but particularly good for Mother's Day. Plants from Word & Deed are for sale this Saturday and May 22nd to raise money for orphanages in Malawi, Africa. Inside, you will find Mary Edgar selling handbeaded jewelry made by women co-operative groups in Uganda, Africa.

I have followed Mary's journey since I met her at the market last year. She is a volunteer with WENDWOA (West Nile Disadvantaged Women & Orphans Assoc.) who lives part time here in little ole' Sparta, Ontario and part-time in Uganda, Africa. My children and I off-loaded our craft bin at Mary's table last year and she took our beads and string, along with other collected supplies and headed to Africa in November. She works, lives, and counsels with these women and children, assisting in putting their lives back together. Not only are they learning how to build a solid business that can start feeding their families again, but they also are rebuilding homes, schools and communities. Kudos to you Mary! I am looking forward to adding a WENDWOA creation to our growing collection made with some of our donated supplies.

And, of course, like only Canadians can do, we have begun predicting the market-day weather forecast. I have been advised: cloudy, windy, rainy, nasty cold and chance of frost. Sounds like a perfect spring day to me to be starting the 2010 market season!

See you soon,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Are you stopping by the market for opening day?

We are putting on the final touches; anticipation is in the air. Opening day for the 2010 season is

SATURDAY, MAY 8th, 8am - 12noon

(not the first Saturday in May which happens to be May 1st - I am gently reminding here as I have had several people asking if it is the first Saturday in May).

To kick off the season and to connect with the community again, the Market Promotions Committee has planned a Pancake Breakfast, complete with turkey breakfast sausage from Oegama's Turkey Shoppe; chef skills to be offered by some of the Mayoral Candidates of St. Thomas. Bring the family and come on an empty stomach! All proceeds from this breakfast go to the promotions of our market.

The breakfast sandwich will resume it's regularly scheduled breakfast combo deal starting the second week back - the folks at Farmgate Markets (along with the rest of us) want to see how fast the 'chefs' can flip.

It is Mother's Day Weekend and many of the vendors are including specials or promotions for the women in your lives (my Aunt, Amazing Mom, and the Market Volunteer Photographer in the far left of the photo).

Our new, full service coffee vendor is brewing a special blend of fair-trade coffee that is fairly purchased from a group of women coffee growers of the global south. As part of that full service, Jay Wiebe from The Part-Time Peasant is an associate brewer of Fire Roasted Coffee from London, ON. He is very keen and excited to be starting at the market this year and is offering various brews as well as beans to purchase. He is also offering two different size coffee cups on market day - large and larger! And a special vendor discount so be sure to remind him if you are a vendor!

Another new vendor this year is Cindy Birchman; her business is called Succulent Wonders. Here is a guest post with a few details about Cindy's business in her own words:

"This season I will be providing a variety of succulents and other drought-tolerant plants in decorative manners, focusing on growing plants vertically. I create one-of-a-kind living wreaths, living pictures, hanging terrariums, light bulb terrariums, dish gardens and potted collections. I will be taking custom orders on market days also.

Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates and soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and/or roots. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants, also known as succulence. Many succulents come from the dry areas of the tropics and subtropics, such as steppes, semi-desert and desert. High temperatures and low precipitation force plants to collect and store water in order to survive long dry periods. Because of this feature, succulents are generally low maintenance plants.

Succulents thrive on neglect. They grow best in bright, indirect light and should only be watered when the soil is completely dry. Because succulents are adapted to dry conditions, do not over-water or allow their "feet to be wet". Other than that, succulents are easy to care for and will amaze you with their variety of shapes, textures and colours. Stars, sticks, rosettes, fuzzy, smooth, bumpy, red, purple, yellow, chartreuse, lavender, short, tall, cascading or shrub-like; there is a plant for every taste!"

Amber DeJong and the team from Frisa Farms are back, thankfully, with their cartons and cartons of eggs. You can read a bit more on the egg farmers' struggle and the challenges of getting those eggs to market.

I have been establishing a few guidelines for this newsletter based on the comments from last season and the continued growth of the market. The purpose of this newsletter (which a direct post from the blog), is to gently remind you all about the market on Saturday and to keep you informed of what is coming up, including what is in season. It was not intended as a form of advertising for the vendors, however, we all want to know a bit about our vendors. There in lies the challenge, as last season we had over 60 vendors during the course of the season.

I have offered each vendor one guest spot in the newsletter. Given the number of vendors we have, and how many of them take me up on this offer, you may see two or three vendor spotlight in each newsletter.

There are many details I have not yet included, like the gift the Promotions Committee is handing out for the first 100 Moms, or that the Retreads will be playing their tunes on opening day, but for the sake of brevity, I will post more in the next mailing.


Wishing you well and looking forward to seeing you at the market!


Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

Happy Spring...

First, let me say Welcome to all new members who signed up at the Canadale Spring Garden show. We had a fun weekend and it was great to connect with so many market goers! I am looking forward to seeing you all at the market and, yes, I will likely remember - my memory of faces tends to serve me well so please track me down to say "Hi".

Spring has sprung and we are in the final stages of enhancements to the market building. The results are in from both the vendor survey and the customer survey. Thank you for your enthusiastic and beneficial comments. We are compiling the data for the Board of Management to review. The results will be posted on the blog shortly so in the meantime, let me briefly fill you in on what's happening in the next few weeks.

The updates to the market include: in the building - a new ventilation system, an electronic security system, stainless steel countertops with 3-part sinks, a vendor utility sink, changes to the accessibility washroom be a family washroom complete with baby change table, door closers on the other two washrooms, and directional changes to the doors to help increase fire code capacity. Outdoors, we upgraded the electrical service in the north pavilion to run on separate breakers. (Now more than one vendor can 'plug-in' at a time). Signage is on its way and tables and chairs for the indoor are also on order.

Whew - that's quite a list! And with a large number of dedicated people behind those upgrades from all the many different groups and associations involved, we can all be proud of these accomplishments. The funding came through the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) under the Local Food Strategy initiative. The St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market Board of Management (the Board) also contracted the services of a strategic planner who facilitated the design of a three year strategic plan and a vendor communications package. All of this will start to roll out in the 2010 Market Season.

So, what's happening on opening day? Saturday May 8th! 8am - 12noon!

You'll get chance to connect with many returning vendors and also meet a few new vendors! You can expect fresh, home-made pizzas, baked goods, fresh bread and bedding plants by the dozens. Meat, eggs, honey, spring rolls, maple syrup, organic lettuce and maybe even a few radishes! We also have local, high-quality produced dog food & treats, bath products, and specialty chocolates. Hot brewed coffee to go with the pancake breakfast we're serving up on Mother's Day Weekend. The Promotions Committee has been planning all winter long - stay tuned for events from their 2010 season calendar.

We had a vendor meeting just this past Tuesday - Thank you to all who were able to attend -the momentum is rising. Everyone has fresh ideas and energy to infuse the market with life once again.

Can't wait to see you at the market!

Cheers,

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager

Last Call for Market Customer Survey Data...

Hi All,
This is a quick hello and follow up request to have a look at our customer survey to complete.

Your feed-back is of extreme value, whether you were a regular attendee or only attended once or twice. All responses are confidential and anonymous. You will not be contacted regarding your answers unless you request that in one of the comments sections.

The survey closes February 28th so if you haven’t already, we encourage you to take this opportunity to share your thoughts on last year’s market and suggestions on what changes you would like to see this year and in the future. The more respondents we have, the better our understanding of our customers needs.

Again, the survey is confidential and has fewer than 20 questions.

Many Thanks,

Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

Happy New Year!!

I am happy to be back, as market manager sending you the very first newsletter of 2010 for the St. Thomas Horton Farmers' Market.


Before I talk about anything else, I ask you to hop over here and give us your opinion. This is one of the main areas I am working on during this hibernation time of the market. We are busy strategizing, collecting data, and recruiting new vendors and customers alike to the market for 2010. Your five minutes of time is of extreme value so thank you in advance for your participation in the survey.


Another project under way includes a few more upgrades to the market building itself. You will be happy to see a new ventilation system that will help cool off the green house experience we went through in July and August indoors. There will be shiny new three part sinks and steel countertops to keep things in stride with food handling regulations, and increased hydro access in the North Pavilion for outdoor vendors. And for the future generation of market goers, a baby change table is now installed in the family access washroom.


That's only round one. We have a few more things we are working on including signage for the building and indoor vendor tables - but more about round two later.


Lastly, I have had the luxury of stepping out into the world of 'Farmers Markets' at-large a bit more. I recently attended the Canadian Organic Conference at the University of Guelph where I furiously scribbled notes at a Farmers Market Direct Forum. The room was packed full of farmers, market managers, chefs, and people who love fresh food. I hung out in the farmers market networking room and chatted further. The experience confirmed the importance of what the farmers' market does for community, agriculture, environment, and food sustainibility.


We're on the right track.


I will be posting from time to time but not on a weekly basis yet. If you know of anyone interested in being a vendor at the market, please pass on the news! Vendor packages will be going out in early March.


Remember the survey :-)


Many Thanks,

Tricia Herbert
Market Manager

Year End Celebration slight VENUE change.....

Ticket Sales for the market year end celebration have been great! So great, in fact, that we have sold more tickets than what capacity at the market building will allow - the location has changed.

The event details are as follows:

Saturday November 7, 2009 (same date)

6pm - 9:30pm (same time)

St. Thomas Public Art Gallery,
301 Talbot Street, St. Thomas, N5P 1B5 (different location)


Tickets: $15 adult; $10 child (5-12yrs); children under 5 free (same rate at the door)

Kim Saunders, local chef from the Windjammer Inn is putting together a fantastic apetizer menu using product from the following vendors:

Gredigs Apples & Cider
Plamers Maple Syrup
Berry Hill Fruit Farms
RGrow Farms
Farmgate Markets
Quai du Vin
Coffee Cultures
McSmiths Organics

Thanks also to Erie Gardens and RGrow farms for the beautiful fall decorations.

Please pass this information on to anyone you might be aware of that was interested in attending and perhaps have not purchased tickets yet - they are available at the door - now at the new venue of the Art Gallery.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers,
Tricia Herbert

Has it Really Been 6 Months???

It would seem I just started this blog, figured out how to get it from my computer to yours (with some expertise help from NH), laughed more than once about a comment that was made about a market experience, and now, here we are. The last market day of this season, this Saturday, October 31st. (picture to the right is the first day -May 9, 2009)

Many of our vendors operate year-round from their own business locations. Visit the Jaydancin booth inside the building to pick up your free handmade soap - at the market this Saturday only. As a Thank You gift you the customers. You can visit Jaydancin Body & Soul at their year round location on Main Street in Sparta. Gredigs Orchards will have baked goods made from the team at Arthur Voaden culinary class - they have some apples and cider available at their farm location on Ron McNeil Line close to hwy 74. Oegema's operates the Turkey Shoppe at their farm on hwy #4 Talbotville. Farmgate Markets operates a year-round shop at 310 Wellington St - you can also pick up tickets for the Harvest Fest at Farmgates if you miss getting them at the market this weekend. (and there are many more I have mentioned throughout the season)

So much gratitude to all our vendors - this was an AMAZING season and you all deserve a big Thank You! It has been rewarding to watch and be a part of the growth, friendships, and community bonding that has cycled out from the market.

Your chance to socialize and chat with the vendors and other market goers is fast arriving. Harvest Fest Family Open House is Saturday, November 7th 6pm-9:30pm at the market building. Appetizers are prepared by local chef Kim Saunders of The Windjammer Inn of Port Stanley. Coffee, Hot Apple Cider, and wine samples from Quai du Vin are also on the venue. I am looking forward to the photo slide show that charts the memories of the last 6 months - you may see a few pics of yourself in there! We have a table set up this Saturday to sell tickets for Harvest Fest. This will be your last chance to purchase tickets at the market. Why not make it an evening out for you and a group of friends. The kids will enjoy the activities table and everyone, including the vendors, gets a chance to mingle.

And here I linger, a little hesitant to sign off for the night. This is not good bye, but rather see you soon. (or hearing from me again soon). I will send out one more update about Harvest Fest and I will keep in touch over the winter. Maybe a few ways we can help maintain and sustain our local economy.... maybe exciting news about what we're planning for the 2010 Market Season.

See you at the Market!

Tricia Herbert

Market Manager