Your Saturday Morning Destination
As we approach our 2019 summer season, we are one again place the Dome Kitchen up for tender. Please see below for information and criteria.
Deadline is April 1st, 2019.
Proposals and any questions should be e-mailed to the Market Manager, Kristi at ngfarmmarket@gmail.com
We normally do our year in review in January. You know, when people are supposed to do them. However, maybe that’s a new resolution for next year!
We wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to and what our plans are for the upcoming year.
We began the year with Chill Out, getting ready for the Winter Carnival season. Spring was a challenge for many of our farmers. We had a super late killing frost in June and crops across the province were lost. Some numbers say that up to 80% of provincial wild blueberry crops were lost. Many other crops were damaged and the growing season cut short. For the consumer, that meant a little less variety and shortened supply. We had hoped that we might be fortunate enough for a longer, warmer season at the end of the year, but unfortunately Mother Nature didn’t see it it that way and before we knew it, winter made its appearance again.
We announced our plans to Raise the Barn. We are are still working on getting a ballpark on costs which is why you haven’t heard a whole lot more on this yet. As this is a non-traditional build and we are building on the existing dome foot print, there are costs associated with taking down and re-installing electrical and plumbing, dismantling the dome etc. Once we have those costs, we can start looking for grants and kick fundraising into high gear. Vendors have donated/raised over $1200 themselves already!
Thanks to the Aberdeen Health Foundation, we were able to complete one of our goals of making local more accessible in our community. With help from our friends and partners over at Kids First, ten families were given $100 per month to spend at the Market for seven months. The program just wrapped up in January and we are pleased to say that it was very successful. Look for our final report on that coming soon. It is our goal to be able to run the program again this year and we are working hard behind the scenes to expand it.
The Giving Garden has morphed into an educations space. We were able to have some local camps come by as well as a youth group from the YMCA. We were able to talk about how food is grown and have an open conversation around food, the importance of the local food chain and more. They were all great kids and we are always so happy to see how engaged and interested they are in their food and where it comes from and happy to help them re-frame how they think about food.
One of the things we love the most is engaging with our youth and community. We have spoken at several local schools of varying ages. We have covered topics such as why local is important, where we fit in out food supply system, agriculture, entrepreneurship and more. We love engaging wherever we can and are always open to attending events and speaking about how the Market works and the importance supporting local has to our local economy with real life examples. If you would like us to get involved on a specific topic for your school, group or event, you are more than welcome to contact us at ngfarmmarket@gmail.com .
We had some great friends join us this past year. We welcomed yoga at the Market, a reading by Author Sarah Butland and our friends from the New Glasgow Library held a very special pop-up library where guests could even pick up their own card! The YMCA visited us often and brought Y on the Move to host activities for the kids and highlight their upcoming programs. We are very thankful to have had these activities at the Market. We look forward to hosting some more unique workshops. If you are with an organization and would like to join us with an activity, please e-mail us at ngfarmmarket@gmail.com
Events are vital to our sustainability. In addition to table fees, fundraising is part of our operational revenue. It also allows us to contribute to programs like the Healthy Living Program and maintain the Giving Garden. We like to try new and different things and of course, we like to have fun!
In 2018, we hosted a Luau, the All Hallow’s Ball for Halloween and ended the season with our first event Winter Wonderland Gala. Everything was farm to table with as much as possible purchased from our farmers and food vendors and each event was highlighted with some of our amazing local musicians.
Our events compliment our other fundraising initiatives like our monthly 50/50 draws, and our annual Mother’s Day and Christmas baskets.
Keep an eye out for our 2019 events, coming soon!
As we mentioned earlier, our fundraising helps us to make improvements to the Market. These are funded solely with Market funds and sometimes grants. Past improvements have included new appliances, upgrades to fixtures, the Market kitchen and more. There are always little ones that happen throughout the year that you may not notice, but we have two notable ones for 2018.
This year, one of the big things was our brand new heaters. We’d like to extend our sincere thanks the Municipality of Pictou County for contributing $2500 towards these heaters. The remaining $12,000+ was fully paid for by the Market with funds that have been raised and saved over the last years. These heaters are a bit of a game changer for us. Not only did it make the shoulder season in November-December much more pleasant for shoppers and vendors, it means for the first time ever, we will be opening the dome early, beginning March 2nd this year! We have vendors waiting in the wings to join us and we cannot accommodate them because we can’t house them all in the Market building.
Even better, the heaters can be re-used in the barn and then we will have two year round buildings so we don’t have to turn would-be vendors away.
Another improvement we’ve made that is noticeable from all aspects is the addition of a comprehensive software designed specifically for Farmers Markets. This program is being used all across North America and we were one of the the first (if not, the first) Market in Nova Scotia to use this program.
This system allows vendors to apply online, provides for more effective organization and planning and streamlines the application process for users. From a customer viewpoint, you are able to see a real time listing of 2019 vendors and even a Market Map to give you an idea of who is where at the Market on a given Saturday. You can also find vendor profiles and contact information along with their dates of scheduled attendance.
Our partners at MarketWurks and their team of stellar software engineers are always working on making changes and adding improvements to make it a better experience for markets, vendors and patrons.
We are pleased to introduce a new mini-series of weeknight Markets focused on Artisans and Food called Atlantic Arts & Appetites. This is aimed at giving residents and visitors to the area snapshot of local products and music. In addition to local vendors, we are opening this up to anyone across the Maritimes for these special Markets. These market will take place from 4-8pm and are currently set for June 26, July 17 and August 21. Watch for more information. If you are interested in becoming a vendor for this series, you can apply online, just pick the Atlantic Arts & Appetites dates: APPLY HERE
If you are attending only these dates, your sign-up fee is waived
This year we will have our annual Mother’s Day Basket and Christmas Basket as well as our monthly 50/50.
We will have 2 events this year. We will have a summer Farm to Table event, details are still to be confirmed. We are also happy to announce that our Winter Wonderland Gala returns with the Kilted Chef on December 7th, 2019. We’ll keep you posted!
We look forward to an exciting 2019, stay tuned!
Here are the Holiday Hours for the Market for the rest of 2018. The final Market of 2018 will be Wednesday, December 19th from 4-8pm. We will then take a short break and re-open for 2019 on January 12th at 9am when we celebrate with the Town of New Glasgow’s Chill Out Event to kick off the winter carnival season.
We have often been asked if we would do a Christmas/holiday dinner where guests could wear their finest formal wear and we decided this year would be a great time to do just that!
On December 1st, the Market building will be turned into a magical Winter Wonderland, so beautiful and elegant, you won’t even know it was the same place you shopped at just a few hours earlier!
As part of the Winter Wonderland experience, guests will be treated to an elegant, three course farm to table meal created with ingredients sourced from our very own vendors. Your meal will be paired with a choice of fine red or white wine from Market vendor Sainte Famille Wines.
Following the dinner, you can dance the night away with Pictou County’s own Rabbit Town Blues band. Swing and blues music will keep you dancing into the wee hours of the evening.
We’re also doing our part to make sure all of our guests get home safely with CHAD Transit. They will take you anywhere in Pictou County, it’s all a part of your ticket.
All of this and at the same time you are helping us to Raise the Barn and expand our ability to accommodate all of our vendors year round and make the Market an extra special gathering place!
We are thrilled to offer this event with the support of Select Nova Scotia and the Farmers Markets of Nova Scotia. We would also like to thank Pantry Kitchen Catering and Rocklin Parties for supporting local and helping us to make this event a magical experience!
Tickets are $85 person and the quantity of tickets is very limited. As such, tickets will go on sale online only at 9am Thursday, November 1st. Any remaining tickets will then be available at the Market on November 3rd.
You can purchase your tickets by clicking the button below. We suggest bookmarking it for Thursday morning.
We can accommodate most dietary restrictions, however all requests must be made in advance by November 24th (this includes any vegetarian meals)
We look forward to being your hosts for this very special event!
We have been getting some questions at the Market for a while now about how Cannabis will affect the Market. The short answer is, it won’t.
Now that cannabis is legal, we thought it was a good time to answer some frequently asked questions. We figured this was the best way to address them.
No. As with open alcohol and tobacco smoking, smoking cannabis in or near the Market will not be permitted. Visitors that light up will be asked to butt out. Those that are asked to butt out are expected to comply.
No. Edibles are not currently included in the current legalization and will not be available at the Market.
No. The Market is on municipal property and the buildings are also municipal. As was the case before, we are bound by Municipal by-laws (as well as Provincial and Federal, of course).
Please understand that this is an unprecedented road we are headed down in our country and it is bound to be a bumpy one. As laws and by-laws change, the Market will respond accordingly and we will keep you posted.
We appreciate your co-operation and understanding as we continue to keep the Market an enjoyable place for all.
Please make sure you are also up to date on Federal, Provincial and Municipal laws around cannabis.
Federal:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations.html
Provincial:
https://novascotia.ca/cannabis/laws/
It’s our second annual All Hallow’s Ball! This year’s theme is Nightmare on Glasgow Street. We encourage you to dress as a classic horror character! No matter what you dress as, just come in costume! Because there will of course, be prizes!
All the stuff you loved about last year’s event will be back this year! The Market will be all decked out in the scariest of ways! There are all new sets being constructed and the Market will remind you of some of your favourite scary movies.
We are very proud and excited to have Nova Scotia Spirit Co. on board as a sponsor this year. Bringin’ their spirits in all ways! Proceeds from this event help us to Raise the Barn!
What’s included in your fun night?
Your ticket includes:
Prizes for:
Guests must be 19 years or older.
A few photos from last year:
And don’t forget our last event for the year will be our first ever Winter Wonderland Gala. Pre-sale tickets online only at 9am November 1st, remaining tickets will be available at the Market November 3rd.
We have a special musical Saturday planned for you at the Market this Saturday. We are welcoming Jim Hadley and his wife Kim. But not only that, they will be joined by some of their musically talented friends, and if you read on, you just might recognize them!
Jim Hadley is a member of the band ” Where Rivers Meet”
Beresford New Brunswick singer-songwriter Jim Hadley has performed across Canada and in the United States. He started his musical performances playing the harmonica at the age of 4 and was playing for audiences from that moment on. He was playing the guitar by the age of 10 and had developed an interest in singing at the same time. It
was not long before he was performing for audiences at various events. This included playing harmonica and singing as a guest on various Radio Shows both in the US and Canada. His love of music spans across many genres from Rock & Roll to Country to Swing / Big Band. He has had the opportunity to perform to, and delight large audiences across Canada. In addition, he has performed for Broadway genre productions.
Jim released his first album titled “At Last”
in October of 2008 while living in Dieppe NB. It includes an English and French compilation of songs he has written )
and composed. This album was recorded with the musical talents and
support of his wife Kim ( vocals ) and son Scott (vocals / Drums ).
Jim currently performs with his wife Kim as the group “ Silver Sound “ at various types of venues, and also performs with the group “ Classic Country “ as one of the lead singers and lead / rhythm guitarists. (source: http://www.whereriversmeet.ca/jim-hadley.html)
Also joining Jim and Kim are a music duo you may recognize. Nelson (aka beekeeper at Macd’s Bees and Maureen Macds Bees product developer extraordinaire) are also a very talented musical family.
They will be performing a set but also joining them are Declan Ror and Avery Cameron for a couple of tunes. You will be treated to an array of music genres; something for everyone to enjoy!
If you have been through the Giving Garden lately, you may have noticed it is looking a little over grown and weedy. We want you to know why.
Despite our Giving Garden volunteer’s best efforts to keep the weeds at bay and keep the garden looking nice, it has unfortunately been overrun by a very aggressive, noxious weed known as Wild Parsnip.
If you are not familiar, here’s some information on Wild Parsnip and why it’s so difficult to handle:
“Everyone is sensitive to wild parsnip and you do not need to be sensitized by a prior exposure to develop burns or blisters. You can brush against wild parsnip plants and not be affected. Parsnip is only dangerous when the plant sap from broken leaves or stems gets on your skin.” ( https://fyi.uwex.edu/weedsci/2001/07/04/wild-parsnip-3/ )
“Tips to avoid exposure include wearing gloves, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts. Planning control activities for the early evening will minimize sunlight and thus activation of the blistering process. If you are exposed to the plant juice, wash the contaminated areas thoroughly as soon as possible.”
We want you to know that we are working hard on this and we have enlisted the help of the Town of New Glasgow and the Dept of Agriculture to find a long term solution as it is beyond the capacity of our volunteer group to safely handle.
We are very thankful to the crew with the Town of New Glasgow who were at the garden weeding yesterday and will be weeding regularly. They are diligently working to help us try and keep on top of this.
Of course, this saddens us, but it really is beyond anyone’s control and our area is not the only one affected, this is a province and nationwide issue.
We will have signs posted at the entry ways of the garden for awareness. We want you to be aware that it is present and know what it looks like. We ask you to refrain from touching anything in the garden or pathways to remain as safe as possible and to supervise children at all times. This is good practice for any public space/pathway in the province or beyond. Should you come into contact with Wild Parsnip, DO NOT touch your eyes and wash your hands thoroughly.
We thank you for your understanding and co-operation while we continue to work hard rectify this situation.
More on Wild Parsnip from around North America:
Being aware of the invasive plant known as wild parsnip
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/beware-of-the-wild-parsnip-and-other-poisonous-plants/
https://www.durhamregion.com/news-story/5742725-wild-parsnip-cow-parsnip-giant-hogweed-can-you-identify-them-and-which-is-most-toxic-/
http://www.trurodaily.com/news/local/poisonous-plants-no-cause-for-panic-says-official-146893/
We are excited and proud to introduce the NGFM Healthy Living program!
In our County, there are many families who are food insecure meaning they do not always have enough money to get the food they need, much less have access to quality local food and we believe everyone deserves that!
We recognize that there are families who would like to shop at the Market but face a number of barriers including financial and social barriers. We have been trying to figure out a way to make the Market more accessible to these families for awhile. E
BC has an established provincial program being run with their Farmers Markets and Wolfville has run one successfully for the last few years as well. Of course we have been wanting to make this happen for our County and with a little help from our friends, we are able to do just that!
The NGFM Healthy Living Program will provide 10 low income families with $100 in Market Money for 7 months. We wanted to make sure that it continued through Christmas as this is often the hardest time for families. The total investment in this program is $7,000. This program is fully funded by the Aberdeen Health Foundation with in kind support from Kids First and the New Glasgow Farmers Market.
Kids First is a charitable organization that serves low income families with children. We approached Kids First because they have families with children and we wanted to give the kids the opportunity to have a good start in learning about local food and all that shopping at the Market has to offer them. This opportunity not only gives families access to healthy food, but they also get the added benefit of social interaction and the feeling of inclusion in our community, something that can be difficult for these families.
For some of these families, the Market seems unattainable and intimidating. These families struggle for necessities and may not be able to afford little luxuries, like a nice bar of soap or a toy for their child, much less healthy local food. These little luxuries and something like eating out are often something that other people do. These families may not know the process of ordering fresh cuts of meat or had the opportunity to eat some of the unique produce at the Market, so much of this will be new to them.
These families will attend a Market info session to help them understand what to expect. Together, we will be addressing their concerns with them to help make these processes less intimidating and help them to feel comfortable.
These families will have access to programming that will help with nutritional education, food preparation and more. This program will be administered with kindness, respect and dignity, free of stigma.
This program also does double, even triple duty. As always, 100% of Market Money, including the Market Money from this program, spent at the Market goes directly to vendors (as it always does). So at the same time as these families benefit, local farmers, food producers and artisans that sell at the Market also benefit. They make their livelihood and in turn will spend their money in the community and then those businesses benefit too! A ripple effect, like a drop in a pond!
This is a win-win-win, especially for families, but vendors and the community as a whole.
These families will now have access to healthy local food. They will be able to be part of a community where they may have felt isolation before. Hopefully we will be able to illustrate to them that the Market is a comfortable place and that items are not as expensive as they think and that eating local, healthy food IS within their reach. These families will get to listen to music, they can take their child to lunch or buy them a special treat, maybe they can buy a roast or try some micro greens or a new variety of beet or carrot. Maybe they can buy a nice bar of soap or enjoy some gluten free bread that they may not have been able to afford before. Perhaps they can buy a toy for their child’s birthday and at Christmas they can have a turkey.
This is about whole health and increasing quality of life and adding tools to the kids toolbox to help them make great choices that will set them on the right path as they grow up. This is about everyone being part of the community and the Market giving back.
If the program is successful and feedback from the families are positive, we will find a way to run it again. Someday maybe we will also have a provincially run program! Dream big.
We would like to thank the Wolfville Farmers Market and the Farmers Market of Nova Scotia for helping us along the way, the team at Kids First and of course the Aberdeen Health Foundation for making this program possible!
Thank YOU for supporting the Market and coming out to shop with us every week. It is because of your support that we have the encouragement to keep doing better.
Another peak season has arrived at our doorstep. As the weather warms and your farmers crops grow, the Market is bustling with that familiar laughter and neighborhood chatter.
This Saturday, we are proud to open our for our 10th peak season! As many of you know, the Market has evolved so much over the last 10 years, it’s pretty amazing!
Last year, we were thrilled to be able to build the Giving Garden. While the Giving Garden committee is hard at work making plans for the growing part, the other important part of the space is the patio which we hoped to turn into an outdoor classroom of sorts. We envisioned all kinds of things out there that all community members and visitors could access, tying into our vision of whole health and wellness.
We have been working on it! We have approached our vendors and some of our community organizations and friends of the Market. We challenged them…we really wanted to offer experiences at no charge in an effort to make them accessible for everyone regardless of situation and take cost out of the equation. We believe that everyone should have a chance to join in activities at the Market. So the deal was, if you are willing to join the cause and offer your service for free or at cost, then we will give you the space at no cost.
Because our community is amazing and believes in this project as much as we do, they were very generous and hopped on board to donate their time. They really saw this as a chance to make this something amazing, and we thank them for helping us get the ball rolling!
We are proud to tell you that as a result, we have some fabulous things coming up on garden patio. In future, you just need to look at the chalkboards for information on what’s coming up as well as our weekly poster that is published on Facebook weekly.
Coming up this Saturday, May 19th at 10:30am, local author Sarah Butland will be on the patio to give a reading.
On June 16th we are very pleased to welcome Rachael MacLean and Raina McDonald to host yoga classes, free of charge!
Rachael is kindly hosting a free kids yoga class from 9 until 9:30am and then at
This is just the beginning we have dates yet to be set but in the works are other exercise opportunities, a crochet/knit class and perhaps a flower arranging class or two.
Now here’s the challenge to you! We have lots of dates up until the end of October…we invite artisans & makers, musicians, fitness instructors, nutritionists, gardeners/garden clubs, authors, farmers, painters, poets, massage therapy, kids activities, you get the idea….come out and share your knowledge, lead a workshop, share what you know, teach others. The deal is the same, if you offer your service for free or at cost, you can have the space at no cost to you. You just need to contact us, throw your idea out there, we know there are lots of great ideas. We can work together to figure it out and we’ll find a date and we can help you with registration as needed. Local, grass-roots organizations welcome, this is also a good time to give out information for your services.
This truly is for the community, by the community to better the community. Be part of the big picture, meet new friends and neighbours and you might just learn something in the process!
PS if you have spare yoga mats in good condition that you would be willing to donate, please bring them to the welcome table at the Market. We will keep them out side every Saturday for anyone that wishes to use them during Market hours.
