Field to Table promotes Agritourism in Georgina

By Mike Anderson

Stephanie Blyth and her mother Tracy, from Holland Landing, were among hundreds of people who visited local farms during the Town’s Field to Table farm tour, held on August 21.

While the tour was self-guided with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, farmers like Larry Pegg, owner of Homestead Orchards in Sutton, were more than happy to answer visitors’ questions.

“It’s a great way to spend the afternoon seeing where local produce comes from,” said Stephanie, who enjoyed touring the orchard with Pegg.

“We go to the farmer’s market in Newmarket quite often. So it’s nice to see where some of this stuff grows.”

“Larry took time to answer some questions we had about berries and to tell us about his life on the farm, which was my favourite part.”

This was the fourth year for the farm tour – last year’s event was virtual – with nine local farms participating, up from the original seven farms in 2018, the tour’s inaugural year.

For this edition, farms paired with 12 local businesses, including restaurants, retailers and local artisans, making the event more enjoyable.

At Homestead Orchards (3961 Old Homestead Rd), employees from Mason Place, which sells BBQs and Smokers, barbecued sausages from Birch Bark Farm, while Bob Swain and his wife Lynne sold unique woodcarvings.

Nathan, Larry Pegg’s son, was happy they were all taking part in the event.

“If it benefits one, it benefits all,” he said.

The Town also provided visitors with a passport to collect stamps from participating farms.

The Blyth’s were determined to visit all nine farms, so they could collect the stamps and enter the draw for the grand prize, a basket of fresh produce.

“We want to win the basket. We’re pretty adamant. So we’re on a mission today,” Stephanie said.

Besides family-owned farms, people also got a chance to visit unique farms, like the Elmgrove Organic Collective (EOC) in Sutton, which practices sustainable agriculture.

Owned by Hans and Loes Pape, Elmgrove Farm (535 Catering Rd.) operates as a collective with smaller growers renting sections of the 58-acre farm to grow organic produce.

Zandra Zalucky, who owns Cultivating Opportunities, grows vegetables using a no-til, chemical-free approach.

She says Farm to Table is a great way to meet new customers and educate them about sustainable agriculture.

“It’s such a great event. It brings the community together. The community of farmers and the community of shoppers, both local and those in the outskirts, and shows them what Georgina has to offer and the beautiful food that we grow here.”

Zalucky, who sells her vegetables at farmers’ markets and through Elmgrove’s farm gate on weekends, is passionate about her approach to growing vegetables.

“I have over 50 different types of vegetables that I grow. I like the diversity. Not only does it keep it interesting for me, but in any given year, you never know what’s going to grow well. So it helps not to put all your eggs in one basket,” she said.

While Tomatoes, especially the heirloom varieties, are top-sellers, Zalucky says all her vegetables are more nutritious than most vegetables sold in supermarkets.

“I utilize a technique that’s known as regenerative farming, which means disturbing the soil as little as possible. And part of that is not using machinery, not tilling the soil, not turning it over so that the life in the soil remains intact. Not only is that good for the health of the plant, the nutrient quality and the taste of the plant are also better.”

While Georgina is home to more than 100 farms, with over 17,000 acres in agricultural production, most are large commercial operations, like dairy and beef farms.

Still, smaller farms, including those that practise sustainable agriculture and offer direct sales to the public, are growing in number.

“This event promotes Agritourism,” said Karyn Stone, the Town’s Manager of Economic Development.

“Agritourism has taken off in the last ten years, and we have a lot of great farms that have farm gate sales.”

“We’re promoting them because there’s a real economic impact when we draw people from out-of-town to come to these farms. And, they also stop in our downtown areas to shop. We’re making them aware of what Georgina has to offer, and they’ll come back.”

Rick Newberry, visiting Homestead Orchards with his son Dave who now lives in Toronto, agrees.

“A lot of people just drive by farms, and they don’t realize what’s produced here,” he said.

“By putting this out there, the farms may get return visits.”

Nathan Pegg also acknowledges Field to Table is a great way to kick start the busy harvest season.

“They can come out and see how far along the apples are. Within the next week or two, we’ll be pulling apples off the trees,” he said.

“A lot of people are itching to get out of the houses and do stuff. And this is such a great opportunity for them to go out and see some of our countryside.”

For most visitors, like the Blyth’s, Field to Table offered a chance to scratch that itch, with a day out in Georgina visiting farms a welcome reprieve from pandemic stay-at-home orders and lockdowns.

“It feels good to be out with all the other people, talking to people and watching the kids,” said Tracy Blyth.

“I would encourage everyone to get out and visit these farms. It’s been awesome.”