Garden Inspiration As we anticipate warmer days ahead we thought we would share some photos, courtesy of one of our loyal customers, Caitlyn who as a mother of five has great success building raised beds. This Spring, at our greenhouses, we will be posting the steps Caitlyn and her family take preparing their raised beds. Caitlyn tells us all five kids love being part of the planning, growing and harvesting process at their Urban Gardens. 

We are expecting our seed order from Kitchen Table Seed House on Wolfe Island to come in shortly and we will be including a variety of their vegetable seed pkgs on our online order form for you to purchase.  We encourage you to start planning your gardens and follow us on Facebook  as we start sharing some of the pictures of our plants that are already poking their heads through the earth. 

A charcuterie board is only limited to your imagination. Bringing in the New Year might look different this year, but there is no reason you can't have a quiet celebration for two or a special dinner for those in your household. Charcuterie is the perfect item to customize whatever you and your family fancy. From cured meats, artisanal cheese, nuts, olives, fruit, dried fruits, jelly, crackers, bread and even chocolate the possibilities are endless. 

A favourite item of ours here at the store is local artisanal cheese like the certified organic raw milk cheese produced by Nigel and Claire Smith of Bushgarden Farm in nearby Elgin. Stop by our market and see what delicious cheeses of Bushgarden Farms and other area producers we carry. Our market is also open Wednesday, Dec. 30th and Thursday, Dec. 31st. 

We will also be delivering to Brockville and area this Thursday for your convenience so be sure to get your orders in by Wednesday morning on the 30th. If you would like a customized Charcuterie Package call us at 613-561-2177. 
Take Care

With the holidays fast approaching it seems like a good time to talk about ancient grains, Red Fife and Spelt wheat that we carry here at the store. We are fortunate to have local sources of both grains that are grown, harvested and milled nearby.

We get our Red Fife, from Ironwood Organics near Gananoque. Red Fife was originally grown between 1860 to the 1900s in Canada and thankfully farmers like Chris Wooding have the passion and patience to keep these seeds of the past growing. 

Sonset Farm in Inverary is our source for spelt flakes, kernels and the spelt flour featured in this week's recipe. Spelt produces baked goods with a lighter, more tender crumb than ones made with whole wheat flour and it can be substituted one to one for all-purpose or whole wheat in most recipes. 
Show ancient grains some love and start baking with them now. ​

​Directions:
1. Sift together flours, salt, and baking powder. Cream butter and sugar until incorporated. Do not over mix.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix on low until just incorporated.
3. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick. cut into desired shapes. Cover and chill.
4. Preheat oven to 350. line a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. 
5. Bake until edges lightly browned about 20 minutes.
cool and enjoy!

First, we would like to thank all of you, our loyal customers, for your ongoing support. 2020 has been a year of change! We continue to adapt, innovate and persevere to keep our shelves filled and your fridge stocked while keeping your safety in mind. 

It's now time to set our winter hours to give us time to put the gardens to bed and add a greenhouse or two. We will be open Thursdays from 3 pm to 6 pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 to 6 pm, and Sundays 10 am to 5 pm. 

These new hours also allow us to add a new delivery service to Brockville starting Thursday, November 5th. Thank you to Mom and Dad, Corn Acre Farms, for collaborating with us on this and providing the vehicle. You can order online at www.wendyscountrymarket.com as usual, being sure to add your address in the message section for the delivery. 

We are sure you will agree that our open-air market was a big hit this spring, summer and fall; however, our fresh produce and hands are finding it too cool now, so we have decided to change things up. Our front entrance is being made functional once again. Interestingly this is the front entrance that was once used as the main entrance for students including Dad almost 70 years ago when it was the Briarhill schoolhouse. Our plan is to allow one group or car of people in at a time to stand in the warm foyer while we retrieve your groceries.

The porch side of the market has been enclosed, making it convenient for non-contact pickups for those who prefer to have their orders prepackaged ahead of time. 

Please feel free to contact us for more info and share this info with others. 
Stay safe and be well. 
Wendy 
​613-561-2177

​Like most of you, I have been following the news and watching the world as it comes to a halt. I have read personal and local business social media posts and engaged in local conversations, and like many have felt a bit overwhelmed with what is happening.
 
We are taking it one day at a time and taking every measure possible to keep everyone safe in our businesses by following our usual protocol, adding extra steps to ensure customer safety.  We are all in this together, and more than ever, we need to help look after each other. We need to call on our neighbours, especially the elderly and those with challenged immune systems, to make sure all is well. Isolation and panic can take its toll. We need to make sure people feel safe and supported. Working as a community, even at a distance, we can make a difference. 
 
With schools closed and news reports and continued cancellation alerts on social media, we need to talk to the kids in our lives. Make sure they have a safe and comforting space to express their thoughts, worries and concerns. Provide them with the reassurance that will help them process the sudden changes in their routines. 
 
We encourage you to take this time to go for a walk and spend some time outdoors.
Remember to wash your hands, of course!
Take care 
Wendy 
 

​Reflecting on not only the last year, but also the last decade, I must say it has been exciting to say the least. From the beginning when we first decided to start the local food distribution to homes and restaurants, connecting producers to consumers we have constantly strived to fill a need. We are very aware now more than ever that everything has a time and place and we feel it is now time to shift gears. As our wholesale distribution ends, we are gearing up to offer new opportunities at our Market and Furnace Falls Farm with the promise of a new year. Rick, Leigha, and I thank all of you that have been with us through the journey and we look forward to sharing the next step. 
 
We are taking a step back to our roots with a focus on the future of families including both yours and ours. Personally, I have felt the pull over the last few years towards our future generation, helping them reconnect with the earth, teaching them where their food comes from, and focusing on community and encouraging sustainability.  I for one, look forward to expanding my work  with children, sharing my passion for gardening, earth, farm animals  and the joy of preparing farm fresh meals.
 
With the addition of Furnace Falls Farm, we have been able to offer cooking classes, community gatherings, and agricultural experiences and more all in a family farm atmosphere.  We are passionate about providing people with the true farm to fork experience while surrounding ourselves with our family and yours. 
 
 We feel the New Year is also the perfect time for us to introduce family affordable, sustainable meal plans at our Country Market. Stay tuned for more news on that next week.  In addition to the new package offerings, we will also begin Wendy’s meal pick of the week, complete with recipe. It has been a while since I sent out my weekly e-mails and I cannot wait to resume these. 
 
In 2019, we will be celebrating our ancestry, both at our market and at Furnace Falls Farm. We would love it if you are able to share your family recipes with us and we would be honoured to include them in some of our weekly meal packs or even make some into preserves with your family name highlighted. 
 
Let’s make 2019 about FAMILIES
Past, Present and Future! 
Come celebrate with us.
 
Happy New Year 

We want to thank everyone who came out on the snow covered roads yesterday to attend our Fall Halloween event yesterday at Wendy's Country Market and Furnace Falls Farm. Admittedly it looked more like a Winter Wonderland than a Festive Fall event. 
The support of our loyal vendors who ventured out is always deeply appreciated. Some new vendors even tracked through the snow, some driving an hour to get here and we were so happy to welcome you! We understand those who couldn't make it, but made an effort and had to turn back. 
A special thanks to Mom and nephew Cody and even some vendors who came with shovels in hand to help clear paths and snow covered steps. It is events such as this that truly takes a team to pull together and see to it that everything gets done. If you were unable to make it out to see our vendors yesterday please take time to visit them online at the following links or plan on seeing some of them at the Shop & Hop coming up in December. 
www.artforaid.ca
www.facebook.com/berryhomesteadfarm/
www.facebook.com/Astro4u99/
www.facebook.com/stonebridgefarm.ca/
www.facebook.com/LeSaladierWoodworking/
www.Lesaladier-jamarfarm.com
www.facebook.com/lyndhurstlaser/
www.canadiandowsers.org/lloyd-nuttall/
www.facebook.com/MissFortunes.Hot.Sauces/
www.facebook.com/Culinary-Creation-by-Mark-Beacock-2150580728547774/
www.soulventure.ca
www.facebook.com/KristysReikiWellness/
www.facebook.com/MetamorphosisJourneyIntoPurposefulLiving/
www.writetime.ca

​​Join us for a day of family fun with local vendors and artisans, chefs and a musician on site. 

• Heritage tomato tasting 
  
• Heritage and Beefsteak Tomatoes for sale in bulk
• Kids Tomato Themed  Scavenger Hunt 
• Live music by Pat Johnston
• Tomato Theme Lunch created by Chef Mark
  
•  Tasty tomato theme salads served up by the team at The Grocery Basket
  
• We will have pick your own tomatoes available here at the market.
  
• There will also be special deals on bulk quantities of onions & potatoes from Corn Acre Farms! 
  
• Join Chef Karen at Furnace Falls Farm for a Fried Green Tomato Demo
  

Spring is officially here even though it looks like Mother Nature did not get the memo.
The transformation from winter to spring always has so much packed into it between the last of the snow and the beginning of green grass. We have all hands on deck for spring-cleaning. It’s time to spruce up the market, get rid of the cobwebs so to speak, clean the farm animals' pens and perhaps add a few more fences in case we add to our farm family. You never know when we might get the urge to adopt another cute animal. Minor repairs are required for the greenhouses at the market to get ready for the precious little seedlings that Leigha has been growing in our greenhouses at home. We are just as busy next door at Furnace Falls Farm planning and preparing for landscaping and barn renovations for the coming weddings and events booked.

I cannot believe our first outdoor event for the season is only a few weeks away. It is our Spring Celebration Sunday April 29th.  Leigha and her helpers have been rapidly filling greenhouses...sometimes a bit faster than Rick would like since this adds to his wood heating woes. We have focused on lots of heritage vegetables, annuals, and perennials again this year as they are more resilient and provide us with a great variety. Many of the tomatoes we grow come from our own seeds. As Leigha and I look around, we realize as usual, we have gone a bit crazy on growing plants again this year. It is just so hard to stop planting when you love growing things as much as we do. We think the best time to stop is when we run out of greenhouses, Ha, Ha.

This year we are very excited that we get to start the season off by adding Furnace Falls Farm events to our list of activities. In a time when the world has so many negative things happening we are hoping to provide a bit of reprieve and bring people back to a simpler time when the focus was on growing food, family, friends and community. We are excited to have people come, stay, relax, enjoy a kayak ride, pack a picnic, go for a walk, pick fresh vegetables for dinner, visit the animals, sit by a bonfire, or enjoy a farmhouse dinner with new friends and family.

Springtime is all about new beginnings so come join us on the journey of new experiences with old-fashioned traditions. We invite you to refresh, renew and enjoy yourselves at our farm. 
​
From all of us at Wendy’s Country Market & Furnace Falls Farm Retreat