Posts

The promise of Spring

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Some seasons come to us in full force and others kind of tease their way into existence.  This spring has been one of those on-again, off-again seasons where bright, warm sunny days spring us into action to get our gardens ready, get our plants out and hope for an early start to the season, just to be met with cold and freezing temperatures, and even snow this year in late April.    Our first work party to get the market grounds ready met us with a dusting of snow, we had to ask volunteers to rake leaves and trust that they were under the snow.   Now, a couple of weeks into May and a warm week upon us, we are truly convinced that the spring is upon us.  Buds and blossoms have been punching their way through the dormancy of winter and the season of new beginnings is proving it's arrival.  The delicate greens on maples and alders as they grab their first rays of sunshine on their delicate leaves provide a refreshing backdrop to the evergreens that have kept us grateful to live in a r

Top 5 reasons we're still so strong!

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Our Farmers' Market has been operating since 1987, that gives us 36 years under our belt. We are inspired by all the people that help make every market a success. That includes YOU! Line up at Andtbaka Farm People are at the heart of everything we do. Support from local farmers and vendors: we rely on the participation of local farmers and vendors to provide a variety of fresh, locally-sourced products to our customers.  Community engagement: we function as a community hub, providing a space for people to gather, socialize, and connect with their local food system.   Promoting sustainable agriculture: we prioritize products that are grown using sustainable practices, which helps support local farmers and preserves the environment.   Flexibility: For our first 33 years we were a spring and summer market only. Now we're rolling through our 3rd season of being open during the late fall and winter too, making us a year-round market. In the summer we're open on Saturdays fro

Fall Fair 2022

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 We're excited to be welcoming back our Fall Fair for 2022.   We are "Growing Back Together" this year and looking forward to having you, your family and friends join us.

A Peek at What's to Come

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With a cool but energetic launch to our 2022 outdoor spring and summer market, we are happy to be heading into warmer weather.  There are all kinds of great things planned already and of course, more to come as the months roll by. Check out what's confirmed already.   Remember the $2 train rides every Sunday too.                          Ghostly Hounds Sunday May 8 @ 1:30pm - musical guest Ghostly Hounds will be performing from 1:30 - 2:30. Their new album is out and we're excited to hear the new music. (Ghostly Hounds combines strings, horns and powerful vocals to create dark, soulful folk music)  Sunday May 15 @ 12:30 - 1:30 - local musical guest Malaspina Ensemble will be gracing the stage and bringing live, local music to the market.  Saturday June 4 @ 1:30am returning local musical guest Malaspina Ensemble is back to spread some more joy throughout the market.  Sunday June 19 @ 12:30 - 2:30 Vintage Car Show

From Seed to Sold

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Buying from local farmers means you're buying from the hand that planted, protected, nurtured and harvested what you're eating. Why is this important?  Well, the buck stop in one spot.  Every fresh, tasty product is thanks to all the  efforts put in by a single farmer.   Local farmers in qathet and Powell River take pride in their land, the resources they manage and the products they grow.    In a small town, word of mouth gets around, especially about what we eat.   We have an amazing growing season and for many years local farmers have committed to producing food for our community year-round.  What does that mean?  For our community, it means that there's an easy way to focus on local food:  find a farmer and buy from them before you go to the grocery store.  This could mean stocking up on what is in season and preserving it to enjoy year-round, it could also mean finding farmers and other local food producers who dehydrate, can or freeze local produce and meat.   If you&

Fall and Winter 2020

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We're trying something new!  We hope you join us on Sundays from October through April.  We'll be open from 12:30 - 2:30 offering an indoor market to the community this year.  Wear your mask and bring your reusable bags to buy from all your favourite vendors. So far our confirmed vendor list looks like this: Vendor Description Andtbaka Farm and Lund Farmers' Co-op Meat, eggs, vegetables and wildcraft harvests Blueberry Commons Farm Cooperative Farm fresh produce including blueberries, greens, brassicas, onions, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, melons, corn, beans, peas, cucumbers, fruit and more! Coast Berry Company Fresh local seasonal berries, frozen berries, honey, jam Connie's Raw Crackers Gluten-free raw dehydrated crackers Cottage Creek Bake Shop Breads, bagels, bars, buns and more DC Harvest Produce Healing with Krista microgreens, healthy snack foods Hello Dolly Hand Sewn Doll Clothing & Accessories Hookin & Woodin Woodwork Jelly by Juhli Jelly and J

Connecting while staying 2 meters apart

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This year things look and feel a bit different but one thing that hasn't changed is the quality and availability of fresh, local food. While we're operating under a new set of guidelines  the market still has a lot to offer. April and May will be full of delicate, fresh greens, beets, radishes, rhubarb and other early producers like asparagus and green onions.  The market also has plant starts to help jump-start your garden.  The local farmers will be joined by our bakers and other pre-packaged prepared food vendors.  Find your favourite breads or sweets at the hands of these talented locals. June sees the addition of some additional vendors, as the BC Centre for Disease Control is allowing markets to add additional non-food vendors.   We'll be welcoming back soap vendors and florists to start and later some of our crafters. So what's different?   Physical distancing is in effect, everyone needs to be sure they keep a safe distance from each other.  While we