The Rural Voice, 2003-10, Page 58Linking to
Janice
Becker is a
computer
enthusiast
and
journalist
living near
Walton. ON.
By Janice Becker
The harvest is well underway with
the grain fields left in stubble and the
corn crop soon to follow. Apples are
bursting with colour on the trees and
pumpkins dot the landscape.
It is autumn in southern Ontario
and the bounty of the year waits to be
savoured. October always makes me
think of long drives through the
countryside, and stop -offs at farm
markets is a perfect activity for a fall
weekend tour.
One website,
www.freshfromthefarm.com, can
guide you to producers offering fruits
and vegetables for sale as well as
great family outings such as wagon
rides, petting zoos with farm animals,
AgriTech
the farmgate shopping
kids crafts and fall activities. For the
adults, a trjp to local wineries might
make for a comforting experience.
Though up and running for less than
a year, Fresh From The Farm has
numerous farms and businesses
utilizing its service of connecting
shoppers with producers.
Since it is geared not just for
Ontario, but also for the entire
country, the first step in the search is
to pick a province. A pull-down
menu then allows for searches by
event or farm.
Though the calendar of events is not
yet littered with entries, checkout
December's Christmas craft sale in
Alvinston.
A search under the farms' listing
was the most productive, either
listing all the farms in Ontario
associated with the site or one could
search by locale, such as those in the
London area. A general search
showed 36 listings.
I chose the Lindleys Farm and
Market in Ancaster as a sample site
and yeas given a good summary of the
farm's produce and activities
available as well as directions and an
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4 THE RURAL VOICE
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easily- printable map to find the way
there.
While the Fresh From the Farm
site lists produce available in this
season as well as picked, pick -your -
own and organic information, a Zink
to the Lindleys' own website
provided information about the full
offerings of the business.
While many of the farm listings
had links to their own website, even
those that are not on-line, such as
Dougall's Berries 'n' Veggies in
xeter, offered contact information
and a summary of the operation.
Beyond the typical fall farm
produce, sites such as Birtch Farms
and Estate Winery in Woodstock tells
of its hard and soft honey, jams and
jellies and tours of the winery. Many
of the farms have tours, crafts, wagon
rides and fun for the entire family.
Under the hints and resources
section, one can search for advice on
everything from fighting pain with
tart cherries to how to roast beef and
having a rabbit as a pet.
The recipe section is comprised of
selections from Fresh From The Farm
administrators as well as
contributions from subscribers.
If you are interested in organizing a
bus tour or school trip, a listing of
tour operators can be found through
the home page.
Fresh From the Farm is a very
good site and exceptionally easy to
use and yet that is not it's best
feature.
Run by Wayne Knox and Gilliam
Kemp in Caledonia, the non-profit
community economic development
agency, with the support of Industry
Canada, offers a web presence for
small producers at a very reasonable
price and a connection to "the only
North America -wide direct farm
marketing industry portal".
For just $200 per year, subscribers
can post and update their own
information. And joining is easy
through the step-by-step guide on the
website.
It's an excellent way to make the
internet beneficial to you and your
business.0
Contact me at jlbecker@
wightman.ca or through The Rural
Voice office, with topic suggestions
or feedback.