Taste of Woolwich connects eaters with producers: Andrew Coppolino

The Taste of Woolwich kicks off Saturday at the Elmira Farmers' Market.

Now in its 12th year, the event introduces visitors to food producers as well as helps consumers understand where their food comes from and how it's grown.

The day, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., includes interactive information sessions by dairy farmers, a model cow for children to "milk," beekeeping, animals to see, wagon rides and a presentation about making healthy smoothies.

Visitors can also pick up 2018 "Buy Local! Buy Fresh!" food maps by Foodlink Waterloo Region. Admission to the event, which is run by the volunteer group Woolwich Healthy Communitiesm, is free.

Backyard gardens 'growing exponentially'

Andria Fromanger, grower and greenhouse manager at St. Jacobs Country Gardens, will discuss backyard herb containers.

A University of Guelph horticulture graduate, Fromanger said edible herb containers can be easy to start up and are a good source of healthy, nutritious food. 

"The containers are usually where people start growing and planting. It's growing exponentially," Fromanger said.

While she still loves planting flowers, she has become passionate about the food side of the horticulture industry in the last several years.

She pointed specifically to the nutritional benefits of knowing where your food is coming from.

"The herbs we traditionally use have generally lost their nutritional value. There are health benefits to different types of herbs, their backgrounds, their traditional uses, medicinally and now, moving over into the culinary side of things," she said.

The thrust of much of Taste of Woolwich is connecting people to what they eat, not only from a theoretical perspective but from a practical one. ​

'Huge benefit for kids'

Part of the day's focus is connecting children with food and getting them involved in backyard edible gardening.

"There's a huge benefit for kids seeing and learning about what the food looks like in the garden and the different processes along the way," she said. "There's not the instant gratification of going to the grocery store and getting whatever you want whenever you want it. You have to wait for the tomato to ripen or watch the seed grow. I think that's a really important part of the process of re-connecting with our food." 

Turning your backyard into a decent vegetable garden isn't difficult, Fromanger added.

"There's a lot of new varieties coming out that are bred for container gardening making it easier for people with small properties to grow their own food. You can grow a lot in a small space, but people think you need acres and acres to grow your own food," she said.

5 steps to a backyard veggie garden

1. Start small. Starting too big out of the gate will make the process seem overwhelming and hard to maintain everything.  

2.  Determine the best space. Look at areas with full sun and grow as much in containers and raised beds as possible. This will make battling critters and diseases less daunting in the first few years while you are learning. It's also a lot easier for kids to get involved.   

3. Use good quality soil. The food can only be as good as the soil it's growing in.  

4. Determine your five to 10 most-consumed fruits or vegetables. You might select plants from the "dirty dozen" including cucumber, grapes, strawberries or peppers. They can help cut down your grocery bill, especially if you purchase organically grown produce.  

5. Don't overcrowd containers. Plan for the plants to get bigger than you expect. Leaving room for each plant will cut down on diseases and pests and makes harvesting — or even noticing there is fruit there — a lot easier.