Open Farms Now A Series Of Events

Jeff Green | Sep 06, 2023

The latest incarnation of the joint Frontenac County, City of Kingston Open Farms had its kick off last Friday (September 1) at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith.

It was held in conjunction with the Friday afternoon Frontenac Farmers Market.

The first Open Farms events were concentrated on farm tours on a single weekend. While they were very successful, they overwhelmed the host farms, and changes were necessary. Then came COVID and virtual events over Zoom took over.

After experimenting with some other central events, and forging a partnership with the Frontenac Plowing Match, the 2023 Open Farms celebration of rural agriculture is a more loosely structured series of farm-based events, running over a 6-week period.

At OpenFarms.ca, the events are listed by date. The weekly farmers markets in Sharbot Lake, Harrowsmith, and Wolfe Island are included in the 65 event schedule, as are some experiences, such as the Haymakers Coffee, (Wolfe Island) hands on roasting session with an 8 person limit ($75 – including coffee and beans to take home) that takes place periodically throughout Open Farms.

There are also a number of stand-alone events on tap, starting this week with Hop to Brewers and Wolfe Island Hopyard ($129 – includes beer and a meal), a tour of the hopyards and a meeting with brewers who will talk about how they use hops in their own brewing processes.

There will be a Walking Tour of Maple Ridge Farm near Sydenham, ($40) on September 16, an opportunity to get “up close with grazing animals, wander through flower fields filled with autumn colours, check out our apiary, and witness for yourself the powerful synergy between plants and animals on the farm.”

Also on September 16, there is a free tour of the Loughborough Heritage Orchard near Inverary (no u-pick this year due to crop failure).

On Monday, September 25 at the South Frontenac Township Office, a free session called Meet a Farmer, an opportunity to talk about the state of farming in Frontenac County, will feature Mark and Becky (Maple Ridge Farm), Ron Vandewal (LakeValley Farm), Sarah Winney (Rise Farm), Tamara Maher (Collective Joy Farm) and Grace Reeves (Wolfe Island Hopyard).

The Element Fall Harvest, at Elements Fitness and grounds, near Sydenham, ($10) on September 30 is a day-long event with kids activities, an obstacle course, and hands-on experiences in the garden and in the kitchen.

And on Thursday, October 5, from 7pm-9pm there is a session called Sow You Want to Grow Some Food, (free) at the Storrington Centre in Sunbury, with an impressive array of panelists, including: Tarra Williamson - Bloom Farm, Tawnya Hayman - Elements Fitness and Wellness, Kate and Pat Joslin - Bear Root Gardens, Ian Stutt - Patchworks Gardens,

Ellen Mortfield - The Grace Centre Foodbank and Community Garden, and Dianne Dowling - Kingston Area Seed System Initiative (KASSI).

These are only some of the events that are part of Open Farms 2023.

For more information, go to OpenFarms.ca.