Hastings County has a new farmers market. It is at the Tyendinaga Recreation Park in Melrose. What makes it so unique is the vendors all live within a few miles and come from Tyendinaga Township or the nearby Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. One of the attractions is that you can both meet them at the market every second Saturday at the Recreation Centre or you can visit most of them and buy from the farm gate. The market is open on the second and fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. – noon.
Although It is early in the season and you can find different varieties of vegetables. The strawberries are nearly finished, but the raspberries are ripe.
Carl Huffman and his mother Wilma run Carl’s Country Corner. Wilma and her late husband Carmen were inducted into the Quinte Agricultural Wall of Fame in 2015 for their contribution to the dairy industry and the community. You can buy fresh vegetables and preserves at the stand by their home and catch a glimpse of their productive vegetable and flower garden. Carl is organizing the Horticultural and Home Craft Division at the Quinte Ex over Labour Day weekend. The theme is Sew, Grow, Show.
Jenn Nash and her brother Joel run Prosperity Acres on the south west corner of Harmony Road and Shannon Road. They specialize in growing plants without chemicals and have a wide array of ornament plants and vegetable plants. Joel is well known for his hanging baskets. He and Jenn rear heritage breeds of hens which produce colorful eggs that you can buy at the farm gate.
Wendy Pullen has a flock of sheep on her farm Thistle Dew at the north end of Tyendinaga. She spins the wool, dyes it and knits a variety of mitts, scarves and other items. She is an expert knitter. Her farm is.
Tina Brandt who lives on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory started Remnant Bag company recently. Her grandmother in New Brunswick who was an experienced quilter taught her to sew, and she inherited all her fabrics. Tina enjoys using these and finding other finding vintage fabrics and mixing them with new ones to make bags that are both beautiful and hardwearing.
Kailey Bosch and Rich McFarlane of Melrose Market Garden provide fresh, seasonal, local veggies from our farm to your home. They believe people should have a relationship with their food, one that gives back to both you and the land.
Heirloom Edibles is a new initiative of Irene Bemister and Stan Saich. Thye moved to Tyendinaga in the spring. They concentrate on growing a huge number of different heirloom tomatoes and hot peppers One variety 42 Day tomato ripens two to three weeks early than most other varieties.
Like Wendy, Irene is a knitter making cardigans for toddlers and some cool tube socks.
Deb deVries moved down from Saute Saint Marie to a small farm Vries Acres in Tyendinaga where she keeps goats, a cow, and other animals. Her mother taught her how to make preserves, and she taught her daughter who made them to pay for university. Deb uses fruits from her farm. She also makes apple sauce and red pepper jelly.
Haanover View farm is at the east end of Harmony Road on a rise of land with broad views to the south. It is one of the few pig farms in Hastings County. The Haan family run a mixed farm rearing heritage breed Tamworth pigs, grass fed cattle, and rabbits. They also make maple syrup and grow vegetables and. All the family help on the farm. At the farm shop, you can buy all their home produced products and find out how they farm. They sell their meat at Grills Orchard in Quinte West.
If you would like a book to read this summer, Tyendinaga Library has a table at the market with books. Money goes towards the library.
Let’s Eat! April 26th at 6!
April 17, 2024
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Come out for a celebration of local foods, friendship, and community. The annual “Let’s Eat!” dinner will be catered once again by