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Regional Farmer's Market coming to McKellar

Monday, 13 July 2009 18:36

The McKellar Community Centre may become the venue for a new farmer's market.  The market, planned to open May 2010, would bring food producers within a one hundred mile radius of McKellar together weekly to sell their locally-produced goods to consumers. 

The 100-Mile Diet concept has become increasingly popular as a means of reducing your ecological footprint by reducing the carbon emissions involved in food transportation.  Local foods are also often fresher than foods transported lengthy distances, often contain less packaging and also work to support the livelihoods of local producers.

“There is a growing desire for fresh, local, organic foods in this region,” states Wave Weir of McKellar.  “McKellar is an ideal location for a regional farmer's market because it is right off of a major transportation route, there are many small farms in the region with fresh produce, spraying is limited or non-existent, and the community centre is an excellent facility.”

The McKellar market would not only provide consumers wishing to eat locally with greater purchasing opportunities and ease, but would also serve as a location for community-building and learning how to become more self-sufficient with food production.  Weir states, “It is about connecting people in the community with valuable skills, filling knowledge gaps and returning to skills such as preserving, quilting, bread-making, composting, and gardening for those interested.  There are people in the region who have these skills to pass on, and we would like to set up sessions to facilitate this transfer of knowledge." 

For more information on the McKellar Farmers Market, please contact the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve at 705.774.0978 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to join our email list so that we can keep you updated on this project.