On November 18, 2024, Craig Bannerman and Chuck Maloney of The Galley 519 officially worked their first Saturday at the Horton Farmers’ Market. With unique sandwiches that change weekly to Saturday morning milk and pressed juices, The Galley 519 aims to do things differently. “I want it to be different, and I know that may freak people out,” Craig said with a laugh. “From a culinary perspective, everyone has the same thing; you just need to do it differently.”
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St. Thomas was awarded the designation of Bee City last year and we are thrilled to be officially celebrating our first Pollinator Week June 17-23 with that honour! Market Day on June 22 will include some incredible special guests and activities, exciting limited edition menu options, and just an all round awesome way to spend a Saturday morning.
This designation recognizes the city's commitment to protecting and promoting pollinator species. This designation is a testament to the city's efforts to create a sustainable environment for native pollinators. The Horton Farmers' Market may be a heritage farmers' market, but we are not shying away from new ideas this season! We love how passionate folks are about the market and their desire to visit us as part of their week. We understand that Saturdays may only work for some, and while those aren't going anywhere, this year, the time has come for an expansion!
If you need more market in your week, work weekends, or just like a solid sleep-in on Saturday mornings, we're pleased to introduce Midweek Market evenings this summer! Eight years ago, tucked away in a little storefront in Port Stanley, Carly of Turtle + Bird Co made her first ceramic pieces, unknowingly planting the roots of a new pottery small business. Initially selling houseplants and hammocks, Carly first started making homemade plant pots. Then, the pottery took over, becoming more popular than the houseplants, so she left her little storefront behind and started making pottery full time from her home studio in the Village of Sparta.
All of their animals are free range and GMO free, and include unique heritage pork breeds like Berkshire, Tamworth, and Mangalista pigs.
Lots of hard work, dedication, and attention to detail goes into raising their animals, and it results in delicious products and ready-made meals, like smoked ham steaks, fresh whole chickens, bacon, and sausage rolls, made with homemade pie crusts! “We make our ready-made meals from our pork and poultry,and we sell our fresh, whole poultry as well.” Vera states. “We try to make prepared foods that get people to try things they may not usually try, like Greek Patitisio with pork or lamb, or Caribbean curry with lamb, rice and peas.” Vera explained. When you shop at a farmers’ market like The Horton Farmer’s Market, it allows you as a consumer to try different cuts and products, while also being able to interact with and get suggestions and advice from the farmers growing and creating the products. Vera and Wade take great pride in their animals and products, happily stating “We are responsible for what we raise.” They love meeting existing and new customers and sharing their products, knowledge, and pride with customers at The Horton Farmer’s Market. They also love the variety of other vendors at the market, “We get much of our fresh products from them for our prepared foods/meals.” Vera says. Just as Vera and Wade want their customers to know their farmers and know their food, the market allows them to do the same with different ingredients and products from other local vendors.
"We bought it for the land, for the space. We took everything down, built our first barn, and lived there." Carolin gestures to the Farm Store. "While building our house." The farm evolved from housing cow-calf pairs to expanding into stalker livestock. "We try to carry around 40-ish head," Carolin shared, laughing about their initial underestimation of their needs. "Turns out, we needed more barn space." Their commitment to quality was evident in every detail, from choosing breeds for leaner meat to their unique processing facility. "Our customer base is growing," she beamed, reflecting on their journey. "The Horton Market has been a game-changer, providing consistency and growth opportunities." While they began their journey as a hobby farm without necessarily anticipating going pro, farm life is familiar for both Ben and Carolin - they both grew up on farms, surrounded by farms. Their growth from hobby toward raising cattle commercially and adding on a processing facility began slowly until everything changed. In 2020, when obtaining some of the required meat cuts became difficult, the pair opted to solve their problem and open their own butchering facility to augment the on-farm store. This expansion subsequently increased the products they could make available. The extensive offerings include sausage, poultry (5-star recommendation for the Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast), pork, beef tallow, and unique cuts you likely don't see in regular grocery stores like Butt Bacon. Carolin's eyes lit up as she spoke about underrated cuts like skirt steaks and chuck eyes. "We're able to increase sales by educating customers on these gems," she explained. "It's about more than just selling meat; it's about sharing knowledge and creating connections."
It turns out there are a lot of underrated cuts of meat. This is the beauty of shopping at a farmers' market like The Horton Farmers' Market. As a consumer, you can connect directly with the person providing the product. In this case, Carolin can offer suggestions on preparation, such as how to slice a skirt steak to melt in your mouth just as much as that tenderloin you've been dreaming of. Their journey wasn't without challenges, but their perseverance and community support were unwavering. "The community has been absolutely amazing," Carolin emphasized. "From embracing our products to appreciating our dedication, it's been a rewarding experience." As the interview concluded, the essence of B & C Farms shone through—a testament to hard work, passion, and the power of community. From dilapidation to dynamism, their story was a reminder that every journey, no matter how humble its beginnings, can blossom into something beautiful with dedication and a little bit of love. We LOVE a beautiful #HortonMarketHaul photo, but occasionally we have the opportunity to capture one in the wild and when we snapped the photo above a few years ago of a stunning heritage basket, it wasn't long before we received the whole story from a long time Horton Market Regular. So in his own words, Neil Hubert shares the story about his market basket! I was born and raised in St Thomas and the Horton Market has always been an important part of life in this small city. The Horton Farmers' Market was established in 1878 and my great grandparents moved into a house they built on Hughes Street, around 1901.
I suspect it was at this time that the basket was handed down to my grandmother as she too would walk, basket on her elbow, to shop at the market. Theirs was the second Hubert family in the home and they raised two boys in the house, overlooking Hughes Street Park. Both boys would grow up, marry and start their families also in homes on Hughes Street. I remember often being at the market with my mom and grandmother, walking along the rows of trucks, their tailgates down, laden with whatever was in season. I remember flats of eggs, and maybe even chickens. For a child, everything is at eye level and I loved all the smells and colours. I was a helpful child but easily distracted so carrying the basket once the eggs were involved was never going to happen.
And we still use the basket, ... It is still the perfect shape, size and balance to be filled at the Horton Farmers Market. It also holds many, many memories.
Whether you bring a heritage basket like this one that has seen generations of market mornings or a canvas sack - we love seeing the incredible finds assembled! |