 When most of us think about food access, we picture the nearest grocery store. If there’s a place to buy food nearby, it’s easy to assume the problem is solved. Food access is about much more than simply having somewhere to shop. It’s about whether fresh, nutritious food is affordable, easy to find, and available close to home. It’s also about supporting the people who grow our food and building a community where everyone has the opportunity to eat well.
Local food plays an important role in making that possible. Farmers’ markets, farm stands, and local food businesses help connect communities with fresh, seasonal products while creating a stronger and more resilient local food system.
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 In 1958, Sikko and Aultje Oegema and their seven children made the long journey to immigrate to Elgin County from the Netherlands. They purchased a farm just outside of present day St. Thomas in Talbotville, and together they began their farming venture in Canada. They started off by raising some hogs and growing tomato and sugar beet crops, and in 1959 they began raising turkeys, and over the years their sons Heiko and Tom grew the turkey and cropping aspect of the farm. On December 5, 1992, the Oegema family officially opened The Turkey Shoppe, an on-farm store where they could offer customers fresh turkey products direct from the farm. In 2004, Heiko's sons Mike and Wayne took over the turkey operation.
 There are plenty of places where people gather, but very few where they’re encouraged to slow down. At a farmers’ market, conversations happen while choosing tomatoes. Children dance to live music. Neighbours catch up over fresh coffee. Vendors remember your name, your favourite choice of dessert, or ask how the recipe you tried last week turned out.
In a world built around convenience, farmers’ markets offer something increasingly rare: connection.  There’s nothing quite like berry season in Ontario. From the first sweet strawberries of June to juicy blueberries, tart raspberries, rich blackberries, and the increasingly popular haskap berry, summer is bursting with fresh, local flavour.
One of the best parts of shopping at the Horton Farmers’ Market is experiencing berries at their peak. Picked at the right time and sold fresh by local growers, market berries are often sweeter, juicier, and more flavourful than those that have travelled long distances to grocery store shelves. |
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10 Manitoba Street, 1/2 block North of Talbot Street St. Thomas, Ontario © Horton Farmers' Market 2025
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