Spring has officially arrived, and with it comes one of the most exciting times of the year - the return of main season! As the weather begins to warm up, trees begin to bud, and the we gather indoors and outdoors under the market building and pavilions once again, the Horton Farmers' Market comes alive with the sights, sounds, and flavours that make spring in St. Thomas so special. This year’s opening weekend also falls alongside Mother’s Day weekend, creating the perfect opportunity to celebrate local food, local makers, and the people we love most. From the return of fresh farm produce and outdoor vendors to live music and family-friendly activities, there’s no better way to welcome the season.

After a fabulous Maple Fest, the Horton Farmers' Market vendors and team would like to thank St. Thomas, Elgin County, and their communities for coming out each Saturday to support local during the Winter at Horton season. It may have been cold outside, but it was warm and welcoming inside our market building each weekend thanks to you! 

As we close out the Winter at Horton season, we have a few quick reminders for you before Main Season starts:

• The Horton Farmers' Market will be closed on Saturday May 2, 2026 for season turnaround.
• The market will then host opening day for Main Season on Saturday May 9, 2026 from 8am-12pm. RSVP here!
• We have some fun themed market days coming back this year! Make sure to mark your calendars to join us for Pollinator Week on June 20, Berry Blast on July 11, and more to be announced. 

As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, we recognize that the day can easily feel overwhelming and daunting. We all love our Earth and we want to protect it, but a starting point can feel difficult to find. Many of us already engage with environmentally conscious habits, like recycling and composting, using power during off-peak hours, planting trees and native gardens, switching to energy-efficient appliances, and more. But how else can we learn about our local environment, support stewards of our lands, and promote sustainability? One way is to support and shop from your local farmers' markets. 

Maple Fest is almost here! Join us at the Horton Farmers' Market on Saturday April 25 from 9am-1pm to say goodbye to winter, celebrate all things maple and Canadian, and to gather with community, family, and friends indoors and outdoors for a sweet market day filled with local goods. The market will be bustling with demonstrations, a best-dressed Canadiana contest, a fun Goosechase scavenger hunt, and maple themed goodies from 50+ local farmers and vendors. 

There is a particular kind of patience required of anyone who shops locally through a Canadian spring.

You will not find strawberries in April. The tomatoes are not ready. The corn is not even a thought yet.

​If you show up to a farmers' market in mid-April expecting the full, overflowing abundance of July, you will leave a little disappointed, and that disappointment is worth talking about honestly.

There is a particular kind of restlessness that arrives with the first genuinely warm weekend of spring. You know the one. The windows go up, the coffee gets taken outside, and suddenly the garden beds are calling your name with an urgency that feels almost unreasonable.

Easter weekend is almost here, and if you are already drafting a mental to-do list that includes raking out the beds, cutting back last year's perennials, and getting a jump on the season, we have one gentle but firm suggestion.

Wait.

Not because the work is not worth doing. It absolutely is. But here in southwestern Ontario, early April is still prime time for overwintering pollinators, and the leaf litter and hollow stems you are itching to clear away are doing important work right now. Bumblebee queens are still tucked beneath the surface, waiting for soil temperatures to consistently reach around 10 degrees Celsius before they emerge. Ground beetles, native bees, and a whole community of beneficial insects are sheltering in exactly the places that look like they need tidying. Clearing too early does not just disrupt the mess. It disrupts the ecosystem underneath it.

Spring is here, and in Southwestern Ontario that means maple syrup season has started! We are very lucky in St. Thomas and Elgin County to have so many local syrup shanty's and maple syrup farmers, and nothing tastes sweeter than fresh, local maple syrup! As part of the Maple Belt, many of our local maple syrup farms open up their doors to the public for behind-the-scenes and educational tours, family activities, and hot breakfasts served up with fresh maple syrup. So grab your plaid jackets and gather your family and friends to head out and enjoy the short but sweet season while it lasts! 

If you've ever cracked open a fresh egg from your local farmers' market and noticed the deep golden yolk, firm whites, and rich flavour, you already know there's something special about farm-fresh eggs. Eggs bought directly from local farmers often taste better, cook better, and are connected to your local communities and farmers. At the Horton Farmers' Market in Downtown St. Thomas, some farmers bring fresh eggs each week, giving you access to some of the freshest eggs available, in addition to local poultry, meats, and more. But what qualities make local eggs so different? 

After moving to Canada, Bella Kim quickly found herself missing her families Korean home cooking, especially her grandmother's kimchi. A staple side dish in Korean households going back over two thousand years, kimchi is a traditional fermented vegetable dish, typically made with napa cabbage or radish, seasoned with chili, garlic, ginger, and other spices. "Kimchi is an important part of Korean culture, but for me, it also carries personal memories and family history," Bella explained. "To me, it is more than just food - it holds tradition, love, and connection." So when Bella decided to start making her family kimchi recipe, she figured that other people in her community might enjoy the dish as well, so she started Bella's Ferment Co. (previously known as Bella's Acacia Catering) in 2019. 

When you shop locally at the Horton Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings, you aren't just buying fresh, quality food from local farmers; you're also playing an important part in supporting agricultural biodiversity. 

Agricultural biodiversity, often called agrobiodiversity, is the foundation of our food system. It is made up of a wide variety of plants, animals, microorganisms, and ecosystems that make food production possible. But protecting and promoting agrobiodiversity isn't only important for food production; it's also important for protecting the health of our environments, the sustainability of our farming practices, and resilience throughout climate change.