Market News: We’re joining the Royal City Farmers Market!

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Photo by Graham Ballantyne

Well, this is fun! Chris and I have been tossing around the idea of adding another market to our weekly schedule so tomorrow we’ll be setting up and selling our produce, flowers and quilts at the Royal City Farmers Market in New Westminster. 

We both really like New Westminster. We enjoy ourselves every time we hang out there, so the idea of selling in that location really appealed to us. We’ve also checked out the market and it’s in a beautiful location with a fun variety of vendors. And it’s on a Thursday – which feels like a good mid-week day to sell on. We’re looking forward to meeting new shoppers and expanding our market experience.

Tomorrow will be a good test for us too. It will give us an idea of how do-able two markets a week are for us. Will we be able to handle the schedule of harvesting, washing, packing up, setting up, and taking down twice a week? Will we have enough produce to sell in two locations? We’ll see! If it works well, we’ll continue to sell there as well as at the Haney Farmers Market in Maple Ridge on Saturdays for the remainder of market season. 

If you’re interested in visiting us at the Royal City Farmers Market tomorrow, here are the deets:

Location: Tipperary Park, New Westminster (4th Street & Royal Ave)

Time: 3-7pm

** Note: We’ll be heading to Ontario for some holidays next week so we will not be at the New West and Maple Ridge markets on Aug. 30, Sept. 1, and Sept. 6th.

A busy summer

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This summer has been a flurry of activity around here.  Mostly by Jawcey and Chris K.  While Chris M and I have survived one of the busiest years of our lives, Jawc has plugged away and carved out a pretty amazing productive garden space.

 I must admit when she first told me she wanted to sell in the Farmers Market this year I said, “Awesome, go for it!” but inside I had some serious doubts.  Especially in late spring when the slugs got first dibs on everything.  I should have had more faith in my friend, as she has always had a remarkable way of carving out the life she wants to live.  Even if that life means spending hours (and hours and hours) laying cardboard, hauling logs, shoveling dirt (and manure and hay), building the garden beds, planting, re-planting, building makeshift greenhouses and hoop houses, weeding, harvesting, washing…the list really goes on, but I think you get the idea.  The sheer amount of work and energy that she has invested in this place is staggering. It has been a joy (and relief!) to watch some of that effort pay off as she and Chris K head out every Saturday to sell kale, potatoes, onions, zucchini, beans and broccoli.  It gives me a whole new appreciation of what it means to buy from small local farms, and the kind of care it takes to create the harvest.  As the garden beds get more established it will be less work, but this year has been eye opening.

It has also been so inspirational for me to watch Jocelyn pursue her dreams, even when it has a financial and physical toll.  We all have dreams to live our best life, and the reality is that sometimes getting to that goal requires a sacrifice of time, money, even respect or understanding from others. Although my personal dreams do not include 8 hours of digging dirt in the hot sun, or washing veggies on a Friday night (are you kidding me?) my best life still requires patience, energy and an ability to see the end goal. This summer has been such a growing time for all of us and I am so encouraged by the success we have had on the farm.  It has been a poignant reminder to me that the sacrifices we make for living the dream, whatever that dream may be, is so worth it.

 

 

Haney Farmers Market at the Brookfield Farm this weekend!

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The Haney Farmers Market where we sell our produce every Saturday won’t be in it’s usual location this weekend. Instead, for this Saturday only, the market will be setting up at the Brookfield Farm. Fun!!!

In addition to all the usual market vendors, the 4H kids will be there with displays and their animals, and there will be a hay maze and wagon rides. It will be a great event to bring the whole family too!

Time: 9am – 2pm 

Date: TOMORROW – Saturday, August 11th

Location: 20981 – 123 Ave (next to Laityview Elementary School, Maple Ridge)

Come by and say hi! In addition to our juicy, summer zucchinis and pattypans, we’ll have salad greens (with beautiful edible flowers!), broccoli, potatoes, kolrabi, herbs, kale, swiss chard, first-of-the-season beans and cucumbers! We’ll also have potted kale seedlings ready for planting so that you can eat fresh kale all winter long from your own garden.