First Market is Saturday, May 26th, 2012 from 8am to 1pm – Market runs until the last week of October!

Website: www.aberfoylemarket.ca

Address: 23 Brock Rd S Puslinch, ON N1H 6H9.  It is in the Optimist Recreation Centre, at Puslinch Community Park.

Directions:

3 km north of Hwy. 401, exit 299
Next to the Puslinch Community Centre and Library
 Just south of Wellington County Road 34

Seasonal list of what you can expect from Backyard Bounty:

Spring: arugula, lettuce, beet greens, radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, kale, green onions, corn salad, spinach, snap peas, edible flowers, herbs.

Summer: zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, radish, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, basil, eggplant, herbs, cut flowers, snap beans, peppers.

Fall: cabbage, kale, squash, pumpkin, beans, fennel, beets, leeks, onions, arugula, lettuce, radishes, kohlrabi, herbs.

Interested in becoming a part of the local food movement but found it just isn’t convenient enough?  We recognize that sourcing local food can be a challenge, so we at Backyard Bounty are looking to change that!  By joining the Aberfoyle Farmer’s Market we are providing another opportunity for you to buy local and freshly harvested vegetables (and some fruit!).

Since the majority of the food we will bring to the Aberfoyle Market will be harvested from our Peri-Urban site in Guelph, all our produce will be harvested the day before market to guarantee our customers are buying the freshest possible locally grown food.

Although we are not certified organic, we do produce our food organically.  The reason we are not certified is that due to the nature of our urban farming model, it would be too costly to certify the 20+ sites we operate on.  If you have any questions about how we produce, or want to know more about how organic food is grown, we have volunteer opportunities available to learn hands-on, giving you some time to meet your grower too!

Help support Urban Agriculture in Guelph, and join us at the Aberfoyle Farmer’s Market!

Follow this link or contact tom@backyardbounty.ca for more details.

The landscaped property depicted here is in Yellowknife, and demonstrates Travis’ ability to adapt his skills to different zones while still maintaining a high quality finished product. This garden contains native plant species adapted for the region, with low maintenance in mind; however, Backyard Bounty can tailor make your garden to suit your vision.

Although you don’t have to labour in the landscaping process, clients have been known to voluntarily play in the dirt. What better way to reconnect with the land to which you’ve now committed stewardship?

What is so wonderful about eco-landscaping? It is a statement about our commitment to changing the urban environments such that they are accountable to future generations. This planet is a gift to be handed down to our children – the creation of spaces that protect and provide native species habitat and are resource productive trump any rationale for maintaining low-biodiversity and resource dependent lawns.

Converting lawns to natural spaces using native species and providing design solutions – Travis will work alongside you in developing your garden plan, he is full of knowledge and ideas and will be sure to see your vision come to fruition. Join us in building more environmentally sustainable communities!

We anticipate Backyard Bounty’s Landscaping projects will eventually save the planet, but right now we’re committed to working with the broader community of Guelph and we are currently booking for consultations!

For more information, or to book a free consultation, contact Travis today!

Travis Cranmer
www.earthdesign.ca
cranmer.earthdesign@gmail.com
519-803-2539

Backyard Bounty’s Lead Landscape Technician and sole propietor of Cranmer Earth Design, a Guelph-based Specialty Woodworking and Landscaping company.

The family living on this property in Guelph signed-up to convert their yard into an eco-friendly space and took it a step further – getting down and dirty in the conversion process, whether it be from removing sod or shoveling dirt, they worked together to prepare a site for winterberry, choke cherries and other native plant species.

Although you don’t have to labour in the landscaping process, clients have been known to voluntarily play in the dirt.  What better way to reconnect with the land to which you’ve now committed stewardship?

What is so wonderful about eco-landscaping? It is a statement about our commitment to changing the urban environments such that they are accountable to future generations.  This planet is a gift to be handed down to our children – the creation of spaces that protect and provide native species habitat and are resource productive trump any rationale for maintaining low-biodiversity and resource dependent lawns.

Converting lawns to natural spaces using native species and providing design solutions – Travis will work alongside you in developing your garden plan, he is full of knowledge and ideas and will be sure to see your vision come to fruition.  Join us in building more environmentally sustainable communities!

We anticipate Backyard Bounty’s Landscaping projects will eventually save the planet, but right now we’re committed to working with the broader community of Guelph and is currently booking for consultations!

For more information, check out our edible and eco-landscaping page.

Travis Cranmer
www.earthdesign.ca
earthdesign@gmail.com
519-803-2539

Backyard Bounty’s Lead Landscape Technician and sole propietor of Cranmer Earth Design, a Guelph-based Woodworking and Landscaping company.

Please visit our page on Community Supported Agriculture to find out how you can secure your share for the 2012 season and enjoy fresh vegetables each week from June to October of 2012.

Keep in mind that we are offering discounts for referring friends to our program. If you refer a friend, you’ll receive a discount of $10 on your share. Just remind them to note that you referred them on their registration form!

Markets run from Tuesday to Saturday throughout the growing season… check back here for a list of confirmed dates in the coming weeks.

Check it out…

Thank you to Nicole Hewat for developing this video for us! After I provided some pictures of our vegetables and gardens, she painted about 300 plates of glass and photographed each one to create this beautiful animation!
Peter J. Kovacs then helped with some technical work, and gave the video its musical element by adding a song by a local musician, Luke Michielsen.

Nicole is a wonderful up and coming local artist interested in creating more animated paintings.  She can be reached by email here.

Please visit our YouTube page to see the other videos we have.

First I shall say thank you to the wonderful staff and interns we had this year who are moving on to other great things in life.  Thank you Ursula, Ryan, Jessica, Joseph and Elisa for all of your hard work this year!

Lisa Conroy who was one of our interns focusing her work at the Peri-Urban site this year, continued into November harvesting the rest of the vegetables, delivering them to restaurants and tucking the gardens in for the winter.  She will be one of our Senior Farmers for 2012.  Thomas who was one of our Senior Farmers this year and who took care of the vegetables headed for the CSA pick-ups will be managing the whole show next year as of January.

Finally, you must be wondering what that means for me.  Far from getting the boot, I have the opportunity to work full-time for Robert’s Environmental Consulting Firm, Orland Conservation.  I am very gracious for the opportunity and looking forward to learning some new things.  I will miss working with Backyard Bounty and the community of people I have enjoyed getting to know through our pick-ups and markets.  Thank you so much!