Markets maybe, but not for everyone

May 20, 2020

Farmers markets are on hold as of now, with a possibility of coming back later in the summer, but the likelihood of that happening is anyone’s guess. Meanwhile market vendors are selling seedlings and some early season produce through online sales.

The Sharbot Lake Farmers Market has posted a list of vendor contacts on their Facebook page. While there is not a lot of produce for sale just yet, some of the vendors have meat for sale. Tryon Farms, located on Wagarville Road, not far from Parham has a good selection of specialty breeds, including: Black Angus beef, Berkshire pork, Suffolk lamb, Boer goat, New Zealand rabbit, and White Rock chicken. They can be reached for contactless pickup or in Sharbot Lake through their Facebook page or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The Memorial Centre market in Kingston has been operating as a virtual market since early March, and they have 30 vendors selling through their web store at memorialmarket.localfoodmarketplace.com.

The Frontenac Farmer’s Market, which is normally open on Saturday mornings at Prince Charles Public School in Verona, is working on a plan to open in early June, perhaps on the 6th, but there are still some hurdles to overcome so stay tuned.

Some farms, such as Unusual Acres in Clarendon, north of Sharbot Lake, are taking a different tack. Sarah Weight Nilson and Pete Nilson will be selling at the farm gate this year, using email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and their facebook site to take orders, but they will not be selling at the Sharbot Lake Farmer’s Market, even if it opens.

Instead they are focussing on developing soil amendments and nutrients, putting up the greenhouse they have been working on for a couple of years, and generally upgrading their property for the future.

“We have planted less vegetables than in other years, knowing we are not going to the market, and have put our energy in other directions. While we see ourselves going back to the Sharbot Lake Market in the future, this year we are doing some things that we had been planning to do. We got forced into it by the pandemic, of course, but its been sort of good for us,” said Pete Nilson.

The couple also organized the first Sharbot Lake Zombie Walk last October and have been developing a Halloween event experience at Unusual Acres. They will continue to develop that part of Unusual Acres this year, for Halloween in 2021.

Sarah Nilson has also started a new local Facebook group, Frontenac Victory Gardens, where gardeners can share ideas and information.

Victory Gardens were a feature of the 1940’s, when during the war years government ad campaigns were set up to encourage people to grow their own food as a hedge against food shortages. An upswing in gardening this year is credited to the same motivation as the food distribution system has been challenged over the last couple of months.