DURHAM -- Buying farm-fresh produce and baked goods not only supports local farmers, but also treats taste buds.
The Durham Farm Fresh Marketing Association has made it its mission to promote the local farmers within Durham Region. Its website, www.durhamfarmfresh.ca, is a quick guide to a full members list, locations map and seasonal picking chart.
There are currently 70 farmers on the association's members list, leaving no shortage of options for people keen on farm fresh goods -- whether they want to go to the farm itself, stop quickly at a roadside market or pick their own.
Colleen and Walter Pingle are the owners of Pingle's Farm Market at 1805 Taunton Rd. E. in Hampton. Currently, the farm has just entered its twenty-second season.
Mr. Pingle is a third-generation farmer. His wife said people who come to their farm value where their food is coming from.
"We find people are very engaged," Mrs. Pingle said. "They enjoy talking to Walter about how he grows things."
Pingles, along with many other Durham Region farm gates, both grow and sell a wide variety of produce. Depending on the season, asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, sweet corn, cucumbers, dill weed, zucchini, watermelon, cabbage, apples and pumpkins can all be bought right off the vine -- which enhances flavour.
July is a great time to purchase or pick your own plums, potatoes, carrots, pears, summer raspberries and strawberries.
"We have some great farm gates all over the region that offer a variety of fresh products," Mrs. Pingle said, whose farm market also sells a variety of baked goods, jarred food and giftware.
But if making the trip to the farm is too much of a hassle, look for local farm-fresh signs when buying grocery store produce.
Marlene Werry, a resource for the Durham Farm Fresh board of directors, bought tomatoes from a local Sobey's last week because they were displayed as local farm produce. Although many national grocery chains are limited on the amount local farm produce they can sell, even the minimal support helps keep Durham Region produce popular and viable.
"I think you can find pretty much everything in the grocery store," Ms. Werry said. "It's not that we grow anything different it's just that we grow (the food) here in Durham and it's very high quality."
Durham produce maintains its quality from the time it is picked to the time it is exchanged between farmer and consumer -- simply because a carbon trail barely exists (if at all).
How food is transported effects the environment, and a lengthy truck drive from farm to store puts limits on produce freshness.
Melanie Pyke shops weekly at the farmers' market held in the back parking lot of the Oshawa Centre every Friday from May to the end of October. The market has a variety of Durham farm booths full of fresh and in-season healthy treats.
"The (produce) is local and it's not far from the fields. I prefer that to a long trip on a truck," Ms. Pyke said.
The great taste and quality of local farm goods is well worth the drive to the field. Some local farms have tractor rides, games and pick-your-own options that the whole family can enjoy.
"It's kind of fun showing your kids that you can go out and pick (fruits and vegetables)," Mrs. Pingle laughed. "It's just a great experience. They're helping but then they are also eating (the picked fruit) because you get it in the house to cook."
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