More than just corn and strawberries, farm markets offer wide variety of local items: Jasmine Mangalaseril

Good farmland is found throughout Waterloo region and Wellington County and so it's not surprising that more than one-in-five of the region's farms sell their products directly to the public.

With dozens of farm shops dotting the countryside, you can find tasty, fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, farm-fresh eggs, and locally raised meats just minutes from your doorstep.

Farm shops make a great country jaunt for top-quality, fresh food, but there's so much more to them than that.

"Rural communities are really based on strong relationships," said Brett Israel of 3Gen Organics, an organic pig farm in Wallenstein. "I think that when you have a farm store, it really starts to spark creativity on how we can work together to make our own family farm operations as successful as possible."

Naturally, farm stores sell what the farm specialises in, but you'll also find what's made or grown by other local growers and producers.

Bruce Dickieson, co-owner of Mosborough Country Market in Guelph says farmers help one another out while building community relationships. (Jasmine Mangalaseril/CBC)

When Bruce Dickieson, who owns Guelph's Mosborough Country Market with wife Sue, told a chef about the reciprocity that happens between farmers, the chef couldn't believe it.

"He says, 'You guys work together, and you provide product at cost to one another and help each other out,'" recalled Dickieson. "He says, 'Just from the business I came from,' he says 'that's unheard of.'"

Getting your money's worth

As people face price hikes at national grocery stores, farm store pricing doesn't tend to be as volatile, said Jessica Gerber of Oakridge Acres, an organic bison farm in Ayr.

"We don't need to do those huge price jumps because of how we've set up so many of our partnerships," Gerber said.  "I think it just provides a more consistent and reliable source for consumers ... It's not one Friday or Saturday they come in, and the next Friday or Saturday they can only get half the stuff for the same amount of money."

At Herrle's Country Market in St.Agatha, you know what you're paying for "when you see the price on the shelf, that's the real price" says Trevor Herrle-Braun. (Jasmine Mangalaseril/CBC)

Steady pricing also means farmers can make a living, as Trevor Herrle-Braun of Herrle's Country Market in St. Agatha explained.

"Farm markets like ours, when you see the price on the shelf, that's the real price," he said, adding that you get what you pay for when shopping at farm shops.

"That's the price it costs to work the soil, to plant the crop, to nurture the crop, to harvest the crop, to the labour in bringing it into the market."

Meeting changing demands

Many people head to farm shops to get the raw ingredients needed for supper, to stock freezers, or to make jams or pickles. But recently, more have come looking for ready-made meals featuring healthy ingredients they can trust.

Some farms partner with chefs for heat-and-eat frozen foods, while others have professional kitchens turning out healthy home-style meals.

"We have university students coming in, on a really tight budget. They want good home-cooked meals because they're not living with family right now," Gerber said.

"They're buying individual entrées they can then bring back to the dorms, because they can throw it in the microwave. It's not McDonald's. It's not fast food. It's a good home cooked meal."

Connecting consumers to growers and food

With fewer people cooking from scratch, gardening, or spending time on a farm, many have been disconnected from food. That was up until COVID-19 shut everything down and sparked "support local" campaigns that rekindled their interest.

This gives farm shops an opportunity to reconnect customers with the food they eat while building trust.

Oakrdige Acres organic bison farm in Ayr offers healthy-homemade meals along with a wide selection of fresh produce. (Jasmine Mangalaseril/CBC)

"We have people asking the second the weather is good, if our own home-grown corn is ready because they see it in the grocery store year-round," said Sue Dickieson of Mosborough Country Market. "There's an opportunity to educate them on the process, and what we need in order to provide that product."

Farm markets also help new Canadians transition to their new lives. Many arrive with a strong understanding of food, because they had large gardens of their own or, through daily market trips, developed relationships with growers and sellers.

"They come here and they're living in an apartment building or townhouse, where there's no room for a garden. So, for them to see some of the shelves brimming with colour and freshness, it's just something that gets them really excited," Herrle-Braun said.

And, regardless of who you are or where you're from, knowing the producer or grower can help you better savour what's on your plate.

"[Customers] are sitting down and eating that pork chop at night, and they know the care that went into raising that animal," said Israel. "We have a relationship that is full of smiles and a handshake in the occasional hug. But it's really based on mutual respect."