The Rural Voice, 1993-12, Page 3R.V.
Editor: Keith Roulston
editorial advisory committee:
Bev Hill, farmer, Huron County
John Heard, soils and crop extension
and research, northwestern Ontario
Neil McCutcheon, farmer, Grey Cty.
Diane O'Shea, farmer, Middlesex Cty.
George Penfold, associate professor,
University of Guelph
Gerald Poechman, farmer, Bruce Cty.
contributing writers:
Adrian Vos, Gisele Ireland, Cathy
Laird, Wayne Kelly, Sarah Borowski,
Mary Lou Weiser -Hamilton, June
Flath, Ian Wylie-Toal, Susan Glover,
Bob Reid, Mervyn Erb, Darene
Yavorsky, Peter Baltensperger, Sandra
Orr, Yvonne Reynolds, Carl L. Bedal
marketing & advertising sales manager:
Gerry Fortune
advertising representative:
Anna Vander Heyden
production co-ordinator:
Tracey Rising
advertising & editorial production:
Anne Harrison
Dianne Josling
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Behind the Scenes
Christmas on the farm
For most farmers Christmas just
means trying to work the chores in
around family celebrations. For some
people, however, the pre -Christmas
period is a significant part of the
annual farm income.
There are a small number of farm
families who market directly to the
public or wholesale directly to stores.
For them, providing goods for the
Christmas gift market, is a job that
takes lots of planning and
preparation.
At Robinson Maple Products, for
instance, the preparation begins with
the spring syrup season but the
family, which makes 75 per cent of
its income from maple syrup and its
related products, is kept busy all year
round manufacturing and distributing
their product. Christmas is a busy
time supplying stores across southern
Ontario with gift packs and baskets.
For Anne and Eugene Bourgeois
at Philosopher's Wool Co., the
months leading up to Christmas are a
hectic tour of the craft show circuit
around Ontario, showing and selling
their hand-knit sweaters, sweater kits
and natural yarns.
For Dave and Judie Glen of Glen
Farms Herbs & Preserves Inc.,
Christmas is a remembrance of how
they started their business in the first
place: an attempt to make a little
extra money for Christmas by selling
jams, jellies and herb vinegars at a
farmers' market.
Dealing directly with the
consumer is the aim of a new venture
in Huron County. A group of small
food manufacturers and crafts makers
has joined together in a co-operative
venture to create a mail order
catalogue. In a joint effort with the
Blyth Festival, the catalogue has been
mailed to the 20,000 customers of the
Festival, containing information
about the Festival's upcoming season
as well as sketches and photos of the
products offered for sale.
Winter brings thoughts of
cuddling around a warm wood stove.
The old wood stove isn't what it used
to be, however, and Corinne
Robertson -Brown takes a look at the
changes.
And for Christmas, what else
should our recipe corner be about but
turkeys.*
The Best of the Season
From the staff,
columnists,
writers
and
directors of
The Rural Voice