The 2019 season was full of growth, change, and adventure. As many of you know, we opened our new & improved on-farm market and pick-your-own patch in June, with the start of our strawberry season. From there we welcomed so many community members onto our farm to pick more strawberries, then raspberries, blueberries, a wide array of veggies, and pumpkins in the fall.
We were overwhelmed by the support we received and thrilled that so many of you shared our passion for spending time outdoors, getting your hands dirty in the fields. We loved seeing you chat with our chickens & cows, triumphantly pull up a carrot or dig out some potatoes, and joyfully take a wagon ride to the corn maze and pumpkin patch in the fall.
Plans for the 2020 season are already well underway, with the same pick-your-own lineup, along with some fun new surprises. We’re looking forward to adding a few new crops for picking, as well as more events and on-farm activities for everyone to enjoy. Stay tuned for the release of these details!
In the meantime, we thought it would be fun to share a bit of the transformation that our farm market experienced before the opening date in June. The month of May was spent scouring for furniture, painting, setting up, and decorating. It was so much work, but oh-so-worth it. Check out the photos below to follow along!
Pictured above are many of the goodies we found in Grandma & Grandpa’s barn while setting up the Farm Market. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, our Innerkip Farm Market lived in the bottom of their barn, and these items were used in that display. However, when we moved out of that barn onto the main road into Innerkip they were forgotten. We were thrilled to find them still there, and brought them back to life.
Top left: large butcher block counter
Top center: smaller butcher block counter
Top right: red cabinet — we kept the iconic colour!
Bottom left: magazine stand — now houses our beautiful hand-printed cards
Bottom center: melon bins — now painted white
Bottom right: an old trough, used for washing leeks in its old life — now used as a big flower pot!
Curious about that old-school farm market? Well, we dug out a couple pictures for you! It actually started under the overhang of the old pumphouse. From there, it moved into the basement of the old bank barn. Anyone out there remember that?
The barn had a lot of random stuff in it, and many layers of dust, dirt, and grime accumulated, so a lot of hours were spent organizing, emptying, and cleaning. So much cleaning! We power-washed, swept, vacuumed, repeat! It was worth it, though.
Once emptied out, we carefully planned the layout of our indoor space. We wanted it to be warm, welcoming, and full to the brim of local goodies. We featured our full lineup of farm-fresh produce (100% of it grown on our farm!), our preserves & our honey, as well as a few other local treats like maple syrup, chia crackers, and hand-printed cards. Next season we plan to add even more added-value items! Any suggestions?
One of our favourite additions is this gorgeous ladder light fixture. The ladder was another find in our grandparent’s barn, and we just knew it had to be included. We suspended it from ceiling, we wove lights through it, and ta-da! A lovely source of light was born.
Another favourite feature is the gorgeous mural featuring one of our original logos. We are so grateful to Alyssa for this incredible work!
We also spent time carefully planning out and designing our outdoor spaces.
The first thing you see when you arrive at our farm market is the welcome sign. This sign holder once lived at the end of our cousin’s lane way. It wasn’t being used, so we moved it over to the farm market! For the sign itself we used an old wooden barn-door. One of our incredible farm marketers Alyssa painted it red (of course!) and added our logo. Next, we built a box to go around the bottom.
Finally, we filled the box with soil and beautiful plants & flowers thanks to our incredibly generous neighbours Wells’ Greenhouse. If you’re in the Oxford County area, check them out!
Another feature of our outdoor space was the kids area, complete with a sandbox and fantastical treehouse. The treehouse was part of one that was first constructed at our home farm, on the truck of an old willow tree. It was designed by a local architect, of Martin Design Group, in Innerkip. Check out a photo below to see what it used to look like. Unfortunately the upper tier had begun to become unstable overtime, so we moved it over to our market. Now that it’s closer to the ground, on an updated platform, it’s good as new. We love how the wood has become weathered over time, giving it a wood-fairy vibe.
Overall it was a wonderful season, and we are so grateful for the support of our community! We can’t wait to see what 2020 will bring.