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.
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.
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.
Reading at the Market Giving Garden at 10:30am, May 19th
June 16th
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
10-11am
A free all-levels yoga experience with Raina.
A restorative yet activating space to listen to your body and soul while strengthening and opening. Elements of gentle flow, breath and guided meditation…riverside!
Bring your mat and dress in comfy layers.
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.
Brady Webb is from Westville, N.S. He attends Northumberland Regional High School where he participates in the school band program, Me to We, International Buddies and NSSSA (Nova Scotia Secondary School Association). He enjoys volunteering throughout his community which includes teaching swim lessons at the YMCA.
Brady started chanter lessons at age 7 and was on bagpipes by age 9. He has been a member of Clan Thompson Pipe Band and Dartmouth and District Pipe Band. Over the years, he has participated in many highland games and competitive piping competitions. Brady has earned the Piper of the Day award for numerous solo grade levels as well as has been awarded the Sandy MacLean Memorial Trophy given to a promising local piper at the New Glasgow Festival of the Tartans. Other major awards include Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association Champion Supreme Award for solo piping Grades 5, 4, 3 and 2, overall PipeBand Champion for Grades 4, 3 and 2 and a 4th place finish at the North American Piping Championships. Brady plans on competing as a solo Grade 2 piper during summer Highland Games competitions throughout the Atlantic Provinces and Canada.
If you happen to come across Henny or Cecil, please take them to your local Farmers Market and document your journey with photos along the way. Once at your Farmers Market, take a photo of them there and then post the photos to their Facebook page and tag us on instagram @ngfarmmarket. Use the hashtags #henny&cecil #ngfarmmarket and #FarmersMarket *Hint: They also love craft breweries and local wineries too!
Once you have shown them around the Market, please give them to someone at that Market or another person who you know will take them to another Market. If possible, take a photo of the adoptive “farmer” who will take them to the next Farmers Market.
Let’s see how many places they can visit! We will share all of their adventures on Facebook and Instagram.
We love mail, if you would like to send us a postcard or letter from Henny or Cecil, we would love to post it at our Market!
Mail it to:
New Glasgow Farmers Market
261 Glasgow St.,
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
B2H 5C2
MORE ABOUT HENNY & CECIL
Henny & Cecil were “born” in 2017. Created by New Glasgow Farmers Market (NGFM) vendor Melissa Zimmerman of Handcrafted by Melissa. Melissa has been a vendor with the NGFM from it’s beginning! She crochets beautiful scarves, blankets, hats, and stuffed friends just like Henny & Cecil.
Henny & Cecil were chosen by Market Manager Kristi to go on this very special journey. She thought they were the perfect pair to help spread happiness and also a way to see how many people would take part and see how far they could travel so that everyone could see what other Farmers Markets were like.
Like anyone, before they could leave on their journey, Henny & Cecil had to prepare. They visited Lisa with LK Designs. Lisa outfitted them with specially made tags that would stand up to travel. The tags holds the important information on what to do if you meet Henny or Cecil. Lisa makes children’s clothing, reading pillows and so many other things, are loving created by hand!
Once they had their tags, Henny & Cecil traveled to Charlotte of Quilted Chaos. Charlotte was tasked with making Henny & Cecil’s journey comfortable and safe. She made them a bag that would be carried with them them. It would keep them clean and give their adoptive farmers an easy way to carry them.
Henny & Cecil on the way to get fitted for their custom bags
Just before they leave, Kristi will make sure the instructions are carefully attached to Henny & Cecil’s tags.
Now they are ready to go!
Stay tuned and let’s see how far their adventure takes them! Don’t forget to like and follow them on facebook and follow @ngfarmmarket on instagram.
If you enjoyed Market to Main Street and Dinner by the River, you won’t want to miss this years event! Join us for another one of a kind dining experience, Luau style!
We are a proud member of the Farmers Markets of Nova Scotia?!
What does this mean?
2. We are a non-profit organization
Our focus is not on profit, but rather on our vendors and community and ways to improve opportunities for both small business/entrepreneurs and our community. We rely on table fees, your support through fundraising events and grants and this goes right back into the Market so that we can offer our vendors and community more opportunities.
We are proud as a member of FMNS and through the funds we collect to invest that back into the Market.
We offer our vendors many training opportunities and ways to improve their business at low or no cost to them
With partnerships, grants, volunteers and fundraising, we are able to grow and complete projects to enhance the Market and community
examples are: New year round building, dome renovations to the kitchen (more renos coming to the kitchen & bathrooms soon), Market kitchen & appliances, heaters for the dome, Giving Garden, new tents, new tables, new stage for events and more!
Due to your support of fundraising events, we are able to keep our vendor fees low lifting barriers to effective business for our vendors. We are able to develop sustainable projects and initiatives.
3. We are community minded.
Now that most of our really big projects are done, we have turned our attention to ways we can make increasingly meaningful contributions to our community by forging partnerships with other organizations also dedicated to improving our community. Please stay tuned, we hope to have some great announcements on some exciting new programs and initiatives very soon!
Want to find more ways to be involved? We are working on it and will hopefully have something to tell you later on this season!
None of this could happen without you or your support. It’s important you come out and support your Market and vendors as much as you can! Your support comes full circle back to the community!
We missed getting this post up in time for Earth Day, but then we think Earth Day should be every day, so that makes us right on time!
We all want to be environmentally friendly, but we also know that there are challenges. We are sharing this post with you to show how the Market can play a role in your environmental goals.
DID YOU KNOW?
Recently, the NGFM made a policy to eliminate styrofoam take out containers? This is not as easy as it sounds, there are a few reasons why a vendor can’t just switch overnight. We want you to know that we are trying and so are our vendors. Our vendors take pride in what they offer you. They want you to have the best quality product but they also realize that many patrons are budget conscious. Switching to environmentally sound containers can be cost prohibitive. Compostable containers can add up to $1 or more per piece depending on material costs and shipping. While some guests can easily and happily absorb this increase, there are other patrons that may find this difficult. Then there’s the matter of finding a container that will hold up to the food that gets placed in them. Many of our vendors offer liquid or “saucy” foods and we know you would like to not have leaks. We have given our vendors some time to adjust but by the end of May you will see that most of them will have switched over to something more environmentally friendly.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
BRING YOUR OWN
You can help! Bring in your own containers, cutlery and coffee mugs from home. Keep a set in the car in one of your reusable bags in case you make an unexpected trip in. That way, you’re always prepared! Our vendors will happily fill your own reusable dishes. This will help lessen the amount of overall trash that makes its way into the landfill.
BUY RE-USABLE ITEMS
We have a number of environmentally friendly items that are available for purchase from the Market. Better yet, they are locally made, which in itself lowers your carbon footprint. More on that later.
REUSABLE BAGS
We have a number of reusable shopping bags at the Market available from various vendors at various price points They are made from durable materials and will last you a long time and they are also fashionable and attractive, making them perfect for a multitude of uses. Here are just a few examples:
Burlap Bags available from Unique Pleats
Quilted Chaos has a number of totes available for purchase. Will carry, groceries, go to the beach or our on the town!
From Handcrafted by Melissa. This bag is airy and expandable. Will carry groceries, produce and just about anything you can put in it!
PRODUCE BAGS
We are thrilled to share with you for the very first time, these amazing produce bags from Quilted Chaos. Made from a breathable poly mesh, these will hold your produce and make it easy to transport. Charlotte will have these available in two sizes, purchase in a set or on their own and reuse! Fully machine washable.
PLASTIC WRAP ALTERNATIVE
We are happy to welcome a new vendor to the Market this season! Beezy Wraps is a plastic wrap alternative. Made from cotton cloth, honey and tree resin, these wraps can be used on just about anything! If they get a little soiled, just give them a rinse under cold water and you can continue to use them. Unlike plastic wrap, when they reach the end of their long life cycle, these will completely break down.
These items are just the start! Did you know that Lismore Sheep Farm carries wool dryer balls and pillows filled with wool? Completely natural filling that will break down after its lifespan and more hygienic too. The Natural Edge has laundry alternatives and there are many natural soaps and more! There are lots of environmentally better choices to be found at the Market to help reduce waste and environmental impact.
SHOP AT THE MARKET
The single biggest thing you can do to make a positive impact on the environment is to shop at the Market. And if you are visiting somewhere else, visit their Farmers Market. SHOP LOCAL!
How does simply shopping at the Market help the environment?
Well, let us tell you!
All the products at the Market are locally grown or made. All the produce, honey, eggs, meats and lobster are grown, raised and fished locally. Items are not shipped from overseas or trucked across the country, they are grown or made right here! That means a reduction in your carbon footprint.
A photo used when speaking at a local school. Yes, we do speaking engagements as well! We love to talk about all things local and how it makes a difference!
As you can see illustrated in the diagram I used above, there are many more steps used when purchasing a product that is not locally produced. There is more packaging, much of the food that travels is processed in one form or another to keep it fresh at the least, then there’s the increased distribution, more money spent on marketing signage etc before it reaches your table. There is increased waste created by the additional packaging, some of which cannot be recycled. And your product will be older by the time it reaches your table…in Nova Scotia, your non-locally produced food travels on average more than 4,000 km and yes, that includes the new online “farm fresh” home delivery meal programs.
When you purchase locally made products, it comes straight from the farm to Market and travels less than 100km. There is less packaging and sometimes no packaging, especially if you use one of the options available at the Market above. There is very little signage and if there is waste, most of it can be reused, recycled or composted and then that compost can be reused in the farm or your own garden. The bonus is that most of your food is picked and makes it to your table in less than 24 hrs. Many of your farmers are harvesting on Friday or even Saturday morning before market starts.
The more you can grow yourself or source from your community, the better it is environmentally and economically for the community. If you can’t get it at the Market, then buy as close to home as possible. Start at the Market, if you can’t get it there, move to products produced provincially, work your way out.
Eat seasonally when possible. Eat more of the things you can find in season instead of purchasing imported food. Preserve. Buy at the the Market in season or grow your own, then can, freeze or dehydrate. Eating seasonally and preserving are things our ancestors did before there was such a thing as national transport. Families each grew and raised what they could and then shared the bounty with the rest of the community. If they couldn’t grow or raise it, clearly they didn’t eat it.
From Visually
So you see, there are many ways that you can help at the environment, just by being prepared and taking a couple of extra steps. The bonus is that when you shop local your money stays in your community, helps entrepreneurs and fosters local economic development and growth. If you don’t support your local producers, they will disappear!
Below is video, it’s American, but the sentiment is the same.
Our volunteers are the unsung heroes. Often in the background so you don’t see them, but you see and experience what they do. There is never enough recognition for the amount of work they do.
We have a number of volunteers who are not even vendors. They are local-loving community members that come out every week because of their love of the Market, all things local and their community. They run the welcome table, carry things in for vendors, sell 50/50 tickets, assist me every Saturday (and beyond) and just generally help out and make it all happen. They help to make our fundraising events a success, they help set up and tear down in rain and snow. They have helped to run programs and even act as babysitter once in a while for our vendors so they can give you better service! Many of these things are not expected, our volunteers are just the most amazing, super-kindhearted, giving people that care. Did you know that many of our volunteers have been with us every Saturday for 3 and 4 years now, helping to grow the Market right along with the rest of us?!
Christopher 3 years ago
In addition to community members, we have some vendors that go above and beyond their required volunteer duties to help make sure the little things get done and help with the big things so we can do more big things.
The other unsung volunteers of the Market is our Board of Directors. They are not paid, but volunteer their time making sure the nitty gritty of the Market operates.
So a big thank you to:
Sarah (President, Le Soap), Dave (Vice President, Big Cove Foods), Vandana (Treasurer, Shree Curry Place), Cathy (Secretary, Bramble Hill Farm), Conny (Member at Large, Natural Edge), Colin (Fundraising Co-ordinator, Knotty Acres)
And yes, these are some throw back photos…apparently we need some updates! So enjoy the unintentional #TBT
As a non-profit organization, we could not accomplish half of the things we do without our volunteers. They help the Market to operate seamlessly and in fact, they will be helping out this weekend so we can also have a presence at Saltscapes. A few of our volunteers are pictured here, but we have many volunteers that have helped us over the years and a few camera shy ones that elude our camera (on purpose).
Maxine
Scott
Not to mention, they are super fun and energetic and make the rest of us wear hats and costumes! Christopher is a good sport and let’s his photo be taken for these events! We don;t have many others in the archives for this reason!
Christopher & Rhonda
So to all of our volunteers that contribute, THANK YOU! We appreciate you!
And as a customer, please do us a favour, if you happen to see see a volunteer this Saturday (or any Saturday), please be sure to go out of your way to stop and tell them thank you!
From the early age of 3, Josiah Pratt set off on his musical career. Natural ability will only take a talented artist so far, but a strong will and determination has helped push this young man forward and continues to drive his development and success.
Playing a range of music from classic favourites like the Beatles right through to today’s artists like Ed Sheeran, Josiah’s acoustic style has something for everyone!
We look forward to welcoming Josiah and having him perform for us at the Market a few times this season!
