For many years Marc Twarowski’s grandmother (or Babcia in Polish) sold her homemade pierogies to family and friends in Southern Poland, and she continued to do so after immigrating to Canada. Marc and his wife Krystal had both worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, and when COVID hit they wanted to brainstorm a business idea they could try. “We said why don’t we sell pierogies, because this is something that we kind of have with our family,” said Marc. “It’s all family recipes and things we share with people, but now we can make it official and with actual branding behind it.”
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In 2021 while Victoria Spencer was helping a local dog search and rescue hunt down a lost golden retriever at Bluegroves Farm, the owner approached her to let her know that the blueberry farm was for sale. At the time, Victoria was not working due to COVID and her husband Mike was doing factory work, so she pitched the idea to him. “So we became blueberry farmers, and yes, we found the dog, 82 days later in London!” Victoria laughed.
In the world of pollinators, honey bees often steal the spotlight. Their industrious nature and sweet, golden honey have earned them a celebrated place in our hearts and homes. However, in Ontario, these busy bees are not the native heroes of our gardens. Instead, they pose a threat to indigenous pollinators, making it essential for us to approach beekeeping responsibly and support regenerative pollinator practices.
Supporting Native Pollinators in St. Thomas, Ontario: Easy Steps You Can Take on Your Own Property6/17/2024 Living in our beautiful Bee City of St. Thomas, Ontario, we’re surrounded by nature’s wonders. One of the most vital elements of our local ecosystem is our native pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinating friends play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our environment. By taking simple steps in your own backyard, you can help support these essential creatures. Here are five easy ways to make your property a haven for native pollinators.
A staple of the Shedden community since 1992, Evelyn’s Sausage Kitchen has been making homemade and hand twisted sausages, smoked and fresh meats for 30 years. Evelyn retired from the business in 2023, but not before mentoring and teaching the Harris boys, Carson and Eric, her recipes and techniques the Shedden community has come to know and love. The Harris boys officially took over operations in January of 2023, and began as a vendor at the Horton Farmers’ Market during the 2023 Winter Market.
Having native plants in your garden or on your boulevard is an amazing way to help support pollinators, but how can you tell the difference between invasive plants and native plants? What are invasive plants anyways? We have put together a handy little guide on some of the most common invasive plants and some native plants which can be planted instead! (As well as some general tips on how to support pollinators in the spirit of Pollinator Week!)
Many of us are aware of bees as important pollinators, but did you know that butterflies, birds, bats, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps are pollinators too? All of these pollinators play crucial roles in sustaining our ecosystems and helping plants reproduce. One out of every three bites of food is only possible thanks to the hard work of pollinators; so let's learn about some of the lesser known, but incredibly important pollinators!
Clover Pecan began in 2019 after Cindy and Jerry moved back to Canada after living in Southern Georgia for 23 years. During their time in South Georgia, Cindy and Jerry had purchased a pecan farm, which was home to almost 4,000 trees and six different pecan varieties. “We had a 200 acre farm, we were just little guys in the pecan world,” Cindy laughed. “But we were just as passionate about pecans as the big farms.” Their farm was beautiful, and it was not an easy decision to leave, but as Cindy said, “life happens”, so they sold the farm and moved back to Canada.
Serge Lavoie has always had a love for the Horton Farmers’ Market. From sitting on the Market board before it changed hands to the St. Thomas EDC, to attending and shopping at the Market on Saturdays, Serge is a known face around the Market. Overtime, he realized that there was an opportunity for a vendor to provide a place for people to sit down and eat, or just meet up and have a coffee and a light breakfast. And in 2018 Serge opened Bonjour Breakfast at the Horton Farmers’ Market, and he has been a Market staple ever since. “It was kind of a retirement gig for me, I didn’t want to completely retire,” explained Serge. “I had community work going on but that was it, so my wife and I decided to give it a try.”
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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