OFM Farms Offering CSA Shares

February 19-25, 2024 is CSA Week! Click on the farms listed below to check out their CSA programs (or similar subscription programs) online, and enjoy the abundance to come!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Community members purchase CSA Shares early in the year, which give a local farmer funds for the growing season (think seeds, equipment, etc). In return you receive weekly harvest baskets all season long, for pickup at their Farmers' Market booth or right at the farm!

CSA Week 1
CSA Week 2
CSA Week 3
previous arrow
next arrow

OFM Christmas Market: Holiday Gift Guide

Get inspired this holiday season! Everything on this gift guide is LOCAL - meaning it was made within 100km of Ottawa with love. The OFM Christmas Market is inside the Aberdeen Pavilion, every Saturday & Sunday from 10AM-4PM until December 23rd. Find these gifts and many more from 100+ vendors!

Click on the links below to jump to each Gift Guide!

1. Gifts for the Locavore

2. Super Stocking Stuffers

3. Festive Decor


 

Gifts for the Locavore

Click the arrows to scroll through!

Locavores are folks who LOVE local! They aim to eat seasonally and connect with the farmers who grow and produce what they purchase. Trying new things and having a positive social/environmental impact is top of mind for locavores, making the Ottawa Farmers' Market a great place to find the perfect gift!

Click to scroll through!

1. Unique Preserves - Tasha's Table

2

2. Garden Signs - Arabesque Pottery

3

3. Black Garlic Products - Paperboat Farms

4

4. Heritage Grains - Almanac Urban Mill

5

5. Craft Spirits - King's Lock Distillery

6

6. Market Dollars - Ottawa Farmers' Market

previous arrow
next arrow

 

1. UNIQUE PRESERVES:

Our farmers are expert picklers and preservers with unique takes on local produce! This “Candied Lava” scorpion pepper jelly from Tasha’s Table is sure to impress!

2. GROW LOCAL:

It doesn’t get more local than your own backyard! Give garden signs from Diane at Arabesque Pottery to your favourite veggie gardener.

3. GARLIC LOVERS:

Black garlic is known for its sweet, slightly tangy flavour. Paperboat Farms has used their black garlic in a mustard!

4. HERITAGE FLOUR:

Heritage grains make the BEST flour – flavourful and nutritious. Bakers will appreciate fresh stone-milled flour from Almanac Urban Mill & Bakery!

5. CRAFT SPIRITS:

Spirits taste wonderful when they’re made with local ingredients. King’s Lock Craft Distillery has everything from a classic rye to moonshine.

6. MARKET DOLLARS:

When in doubt, give the gift of shopping local! You can order Market Dollars (they’re like gift cards for the Market) using our Online Order Form.


 

Super Stocking Stuffers

Click the arrows to scroll through!

Create some magic on Christmas morning with these stocking stuffers. Everything on this list is handcrafted and small enough to fit into a stocking. They will bring joy to the kiddos and adults alike!

8

1. Local Soaps - Castor River Farm

7

2. Classic Toys - Wood Toys by Bob

9

3. Tea Tins - Barking Root Botanicals

11

4. Festive Treats - Hummingbird Chocolate

10

5. Handmade Accessories - Love Charlie

12

6. Toasty Warm Socks - Alpaca Tracks

previous arrow
next arrow

 

1. LOCAL SUDS:

The wide variety of locally made bath products at the Market will delight your senses. Mary at Castor River Farm uses oats grown on her family’s farm in her soaps, with rich scents like bergamot.

2. CLASSIC TOYS:

Put some Christmas magic in your little one’s stocking with colourful toys from Wood Toys by Bob.

3. TINY TEAS:

Little tea tins like these from Barking Root Botanicals are made with locally grown medicinal herbs.

4. HOLIDAY TREATS:

No stocking is complete without a treat! Hummingbird Chocolate is back with favourites like chocolate covered orange slices.

5. ONE-OF-A-KIND ACCESSORIES:

Gorgeous handcrafted pieces await at the Market! Alisha at Love Charlie creates hairpieces that make a statement.

6. DON’T FORGET SOCKS:

Everyone needs socks! Corinne and Kathy at Alpaca Tracks say “once you go alpaca . . . you won’t go backa!”


 

Festive Decor

Click the arrows to scroll through!

These holiday decor pieces make great gifts for your holiday hosts... or for yourself! Handcrafted by your local farmers and artisans, each item is unique and made with care. They will create Christmas cheer for years to come!

15

1. Log Reindeer - Trillium Meadows

14

2. Pom Pom Garlands - MacraFayeMe

13

3. Fresh Wreaths - Bergeron Gardens

16

4. Ornaments - Tinkle Berries

17

5. Gingerbread Man Maple Syrup - Maple Country

18

6. Festive Pottery - Meg's Pottering

previous arrow
next arrow

 

1. LOG REINDEER:

Trillium Meadows crafts classic wooden reindeer, snowmen, and ornaments every year.

2. MACRAME PIECES:

Macrame is so on trend! These statement pom pom garlands are made by Kanixa at MacraFayeMe.

3. FRESH WREATHS:

The wreaths from Bergeron Gardens always go fast. Look for Viki selling wreaths in her Christmas onesie!

4. CREATIVE ORNAMENTS:

Find an ornament that suits your loved one – some vendors will even customize them! Vendors like Tinkle Berries always have a big display of ornaments, like this silly Grinch.

5. MERRY MAPLE:

These maple syrup gingerbread men from Maple Country Sugar Bush will brighten your holiday breakfast table!

6. CHRISTMAS POTTERY:

Your local potters are all stocked up with festive pieces! These Christmas tree tealight holders are from Meg’s Pottering.

Butternuts, Pears, And The Return Of Spinach!

By Steph Kittmer

October Blog: Our beloved fall harvest is here - rutabagas, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, butternut squash (and all their incredible cousins)!

Summer slipped away slowly and sweetly this month, as the days continued to shorten, and the evening temperatures dipped low enough to see many of us start to close our windows overnight. Those single-digit nights bring us closer to our first frost, and with cooler temperatures settling in, many of your local growers have brought back your favourite greens to their market stands.

We’ve mostly said goodnight to summer’s hot crops, and good day to our beloved fall harvests: rutabagas, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash (and all their incredible cousins) – everything you need to prepare a memorable Thanksgiving feast. With carrot varieties alone making up half the colours of the rainbow, fall harvests keep our farmers’ stalls looking vibrant and bountiful as we head into our last month of the outdoor market season.

And while many of us will lament over the end of summer, the fall has so much going for it! After months of heat waves, we get to turn our stovetops and ovens back on as we prepare our last batches of preserves and the first of many slow-and-low roasts for cozy fall suppers. Peaches give way to pears, eggplants give way to squashes, and the last of the strawberries are leaving the fields for another year. Your farmers are in the home stretch of their harvest season, and despite September being a dry month, the extended sunny, warm days have been welcome weather for planting and harvesting the last of 2023’s crops.

Happy fall, friends!

Sincerely, your neighbour,

Steph Kittmer

 

Hello, September!

By Steph Kittmer

September Blog: Harvest month is in full swing!

And what a start! With predictions of sunshine and high humidex levels – Labour Day Weekend is going to be a hot one! This means it is another great opportunity for firing up the grill and tossing your local veggies and meats to the flame as summer hangs on for a little bit longer.

Need another sign that summer is still here? Melons! Melons on melons on melons! This short season is extra sweet this year, so be sure to add “all the melons” to your market grocery list this weekend. Your local farmers at the Westboro Market have an amazing assortment of sweet cantaloupes, yellow and red watermelons, and more!

Alas, September is a challenging month for local growers. There’s a lot to harvest, the weeds are winning the battle, and by the end of the month, we often begin to see risks of frost. It is a plentiful time as hot crops season collides with storage crops season, and it means extra long days in the fields for our local growers – especially for those who sell year-round at our winter market at Lansdowne! Selling fresh harvests now while storing winter crops for later in the year and into the new year, some growers begin to find themselves on double duty this month.

All of this beautiful produce coming out of the fields is something to celebrate, which the Ottawa Farmers’ Market will be doing in full force for the month of September. Every week in September we are hosting a Harvest Market Event at one of our producer-only farmers’ market locations. We can’t wait to see you there!

Sincerely, your neighbour,

Steph Kittmer

It’s The Sweetest Time Of The Year!

By Steph Kittmer

July Blog: Corn on the cob and peaches have arrived - buying fresh is best!

Ottawa-area farmers have turned another corner in peak local produce season. Pick your own strawberry fields are closed for another year, and July’s heat has brought on the arrival of tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis, and without fail, sweet corn. Glorious, sweet corn. Whether you boil it, grill it, or eat it raw (yes, it really is delicious raw on the cob), corn on the cob is one of those crops the major grocery chains really can’t replicate. Our farmers have begun harvesting corn daily to deliver to their market and roadside stands, promising customers the freshest source of sweet corn in the region. And when it comes to corn on the cob, buying fresh is best. The sugar in sweet corn starts to break down the moment it is harvested, meaning the longer it takes to get from the field to your belly, the starchier your corn will be. The good news is, your farmer friends at the Market have just picked sweet corn for you to cook up every weekend until the season ends.

And if you find yourself cooking copious amounts of corn (or is it just my family that buys corn on the cob by the dozen?), round out your carbo-load with a solid protein source from one of our local meat producers. Earths Harvest Farm boasts a beautiful selection of chicken, pork, lamb and beef this season, with Bearbrook Game Meats offering a range of products, from eggs to turkey to bison. Layer in some mushrooms from The Fungi Connection or JCB Gourmet Mushrooms and you’ll have to call me over for supper. And don’t forget the bread to keep your morning toast and your weekly sourdough needs satiated.

We also have Warner’s Farm! Torrie Warner, with his farm located in Beamsville, Ontario, is an invited OFM agricultural producer who has been with us for 15 years. With freshly picked stone fruits – cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots – alongside other Niagara treasures from his farm, Warner’s Farm is our “exception to the rule” when it comes to our 100 km requirement for local farms and producers. While cherries, apricots and yellow plums are still in abundance, Torrie’s highly anticipated peaches have hit the tables! If you’re firing up the grill this weekend, consider throwing a peach into the mix. Or eat them all before you get home, we don’t judge, you’re among friends!

August is a truly exceptional time of the year to enjoy everything this region (plus Niagara!) has to offer, and we can’t wait to see you

Sincerely, your neighbour,

Steph Kittmer

Peak Harvest Season Begins with June-bearing Strawberries

By Steph Kittmer

June Blog: Ottawa is overflowing with locally grown fruits and vegetables, including the highly anticipated local strawberry crop!

As we enter early summer in the Ottawa Valley, the risk of frost is behind us (for a couple of months at least), and our local growers have settled into the routine of harvesting their bounty and heading into the city – some multiple times every week. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes are arriving at people’s doorsteps, our market stalls are bursting with local produce, and even some small retailers and chefs are incorporating local produce into their offerings. By the end of June, Ottawa is overflowing with locally grown fruits and vegetables, including the highly anticipated local strawberry crop!

The growing seasons move quickly in the Ottawa area. Blink and you’ll miss truly unique finds, like June-bearings (strawberries grown in mid-to-late June, boasting intense sweetness and unmatched flavour), shelling peas, haskaps, garlic scapes, and so much more. The risk and reward of coming to market every week is that you are bound to find something new to try, only to see it quickly disappear until next year. The good news is that you won’t be left wanting when your favourite shelling peas are replaced by fresh string beans, or better yet, the arrival of hot crops – eggplants, tomatoes, and all their friends. New crop potatoes and carrots are starting to be pulled from the earth, raspberries and melons will be here before you know it, and as we round our way into September, storage crops and late season brassicas will arrive. We are at the beginning of peak season in our growing region, and it just keeps getting better!

The Ottawa Farmers’ Market is home to growers and producers that raise and nurture their own animals, plant and harvest their own crops, and meet and greet with their customers every week on market days. We welcome you to bring your family or meet up with friends and scoop up the latest in-season crops! Just Farms, Rochon Gardens, Foster Family Farms, and Needham’s Market Garden will all have fresh-picked June-bearing strawberries every weekend until the end of this delicious season (you’ve got a couple more weeks, don’t worry!), followed quickly by ever-bearing strawberries, which boast multiple harvests that are designed to carry us through until the first fall frost.

But for now, the June-bearings are ripe and ready, and, with the arrival of some much-needed rain, farmers’ fields are sumptuously saturated. Quite literally – when it rains, it pours – in Ottawa. Which reminds me, the market is open rain or shine! So, we’ll see you at the market, friends!

Sincerely, your neighbour,

Steph Kittmer

To Market, To Market!

By Steph Kittmer

May Blog: The Outdoor Market Season is here!

As we welcome the return of your favourite local producers, we also celebrate the arrival of our newest members, featuring incredible flavours of Armenian cuisine, stunning forged silver jewellery, Venezuelan-style vegan milkshakes, and even more local farmers to bolster your access to the best local has to offer. From honey to maple to hot sauce to your favourite fruits and vegetables, our market is always growing to serve the neighbourhoods surrounding them.

With a cool start to spring, recent heat is helping the Ottawa region’s growing season pick up momentum. Now in season, you’ll find locally grown asparagus, mushrooms, radishes, greens from all walks of life, seedlings to get your gardens going alongside hanging baskets and potted flowers. Rhubarb is coming along – I’ve already begun to build my 2023 freezer stockpile – and, so long as this week’s frost doesn’t take a bite out of the 2023 strawberry crops, you’ll be seeing those bright red berries at our local market in a month’s time (don’t worry, your favourite growers have innovative techniques for protecting these berry plants from frost)!

And while I never tire of talking to members of the community about our local farmers and their beautiful produce, one of the things I love the most about our producer-only farmers’ market is that we are an incredible space for budding entrepreneurs to launch their small businesses and showcase their handcrafted goods. We are an incubator for everyday people who have a dream to start off on their own, build their brand, and perfect their product. It is a privilege to witness local ice cream makers, bakers, woodworkers, jewellers, chefs, and home kitchens turn their hobbies and their dreams, their talents and their tears, into brick-and-mortar businesses that you can find across the region and within your own community. We offer a space for patrons and producers to get face to face and build authentic and long-lasting relationships, and after several years of having a limited capacity to host new vendors, we are thrilled to be at it again. Afterall, our next new vendor may become your favourite new business to watch grow and evolve alongside us.

So, pack your cloth bags and come join us! Your local producers can’t wait to serve up their home-grown and handcrafted goods to you for another Outdoor Market Season – see you soon!

Sincerely, your neighbour,

Steph Kittmer

Happy 17th Birthday OFM!

By Steph Kittmer

In honour of the Ottawa Farmers' Market's 17th birthday, we’ve compiled a list of our 17 favourite things about our association of your local producers!

Seventeen things we love about the Ottawa Farmers' Market:

1. We are a producer-only farmers’ market, which means every vendor you meet grows, makes, bakes, or creates the products that you find on their tables. No resellers, just authentic human beings selling only what they produce themselves!

2. Our market brings LOCAL goods to your community! Everyone, with a few exceptions (like Warner’s, from Niagara), is from within 100 kms of the City of Ottawa. Even crafters need to work and create within the 100 km limit!

3. Our markets are a sure-bet for fresh finds! Daily harvests, daily bakes – our vendors are focused on bringing you the freshest products available.

4. We are the only year-round, producer-only market in the region! When all other outdoor markets close in the fall, we move into the beautiful Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park. Many of our growers cultivate crops that over-winter well so that we can all keep eating local, even in February!

5. Sure, we run farmers’ markets, but our spaces are also the perfect spot to meet up with friends or bring you family for an outing. Grab a seat and hang out with us!

6. The future (and really, the past) of farming is female! The OFM is chaired and managed by a team of women who are leading the way in Ottawa’s local food system. In a male-dominated industry, we consider this a huge win for agriculture!

7. The OFM is proud to cohost and collaborate with a diverse range of community-led events, from the Capital Ukrainian Festival to the Masters Indigenous Games!

8. We started our farmers’ market association with one location at Lansdowne Park but have since grown to four locations across the city, bringing more local produce to Ottawan’s than any other farmers’ market in the region.

9. We are people who live in your communities! Many of our crafters, prepared food and refreshment vendors live in the city – they are your neighbours and friends!

10. We have a Community Booth program that allows us to host community groups and fellow not-for-profits every market day. From dog rescues to cancer societies, we welcome local charities to be a part of our space and spread their message.

11. Our farmers and makers give back every market day! We are partnered with Lionhearts, a local food rescue organization. Lionhearts collects surplus produce and baked goods from our markets and distributes it to local agencies that support our most vulnerable neighbours.

12. We love partnerships and collaborations! From working with community groups and BIAs, City of Ottawa staff, OSEG and other businesses, we build reciprocal relationships with our local community partners.

13. We host a slew of local talent, from emerging young artists and musicians to veteran buskers – we keep the tempo moving all day at our markets! 25+ artists have performed at our markets in 2023 alone!

14. The OFM is a place for entrepreneurs to launch their small business. From jewellery makers to scones bakers, we have hosted dozens of first-time business owners.

15. The OFM is also an incubator for small businesses to take the next step in their careers. We have been so fortunate to see many prepared food and refreshment vendors launch their own brick-and-mortar establishments across the city. We are sad to lose them but enjoy seeing them succeed!

16. The OFM loves giving back to our customers! We run countless prize raffles and customer reward campaigns to give customers a chance to win market dollars or vendor’s products – including our annual $500 Market Dollar Prize for Winter Warrior!

17. We’ve been here since 2006, and we’re here for the long run. With vendors who have been with us since day one, and vendors who have just joined us this summer, we aren’t going anywhere. We will always be a place for new farmers to sell their produce and become the seasoned vendors they stand beside!

The Best Is Natural

By Julián C. Chávez

Julián is a Market volunteer with a background as a producer and educator on organic foods in Colombia. Click Here to see his work.

It can be difficult to find products without harsh chemicals that are good for your skin and hair. But we care about our well-being, and there are local businesses at the Market that offer natural skin care solutions! For example, Pure Heart Essentials creates natural, effective, and affordable personal care products that are perfect for everyone who wants healthy, glowing skin.

Pure Heart Essentials uses science and nature to formulate products that are free of harmful parabens, phthalates, sulfates, artificial fragrances, and colours. They are certified non-toxic and biodegradable, making them ideal for those seeking a more sustainable lifestyle. They are also a Cruelty Free Certified Company!

Supporting local businesses like Pure Heart Essentials is important. When you buy local products, you reduce your carbon footprint. Local businesses often source their ingredients from nearby places and provide employment opportunities in the surrounding community.

So why not give local personal care products at the Market a try and see what a difference they can make to your skin and hair?

Local Eats, Global Taste

By Julián C. Chávez

Julián is a Market volunteer with a background as a producer and educator on organic foods in Colombia. Click Here to see his work.

At the Market, we are fortunate to have many vendors who make food from around the world local to the Ottawa community. The popularity of foods such as miso and falafel is a testament to the enduring appeal of these cultural staples. Miso, a Japanese seasoning made from soybeans and koji, and falafel, a Middle Eastern dish made from ground chickpeas, are two examples of these flavorful foods.

Miso is not just a seasoning, but a deeply rooted tradition in Japan. It is a staple in Japanese cuisine, used in a variety of dishes such as miso soup, marinades, dressings, and sauces. Kamosu Miso, a local business specializing in traditional Japanese miso, recognizes the importance of preserving this heritage by using organic and whole grain ingredients and fermenting their miso for 1 to 3 years. By following these traditional methods, Kamosu Miso offers customers a chance to taste the authentic flavor of Japan and appreciate the rich history associated with the ingredient.

They play a vital role in embracing cultural customs and practices, not just through their products, but also through their values and ethos. This is in keeping with the Japanese concept of mottainai, which means “waste not, want not.” No to mention that their products also have rich flavors and great health benefits!

The Falafel Guys offers the unique flavors of Syrian street food and showcases the culinary expertise of Syrian refugee chef Ahmad Altaouil. Their commitment to using fresh ingredients and preparing their flatbread on-site using a traditional kara and Saj oven is a testament to the importance of preserving cultural practices and techniques.

Moreover, The Falafel Guys’ menu includes plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, which aligns with the growing demand for healthy and sustainable food choices. They are an example of how businesses can adapt to changing trends and customer preferences while still staying true to their roots. By celebrating cultural diversity and offering delicious, healthy food options, local businesses like The Falafel Guys can not only provide a unique experience for their customers but also contribute to the vibrant fabric of their communities.

What will you try next?