It is a beautiful day at the farmette. Already been up and out watering my new plants, including the new birches. Rob's been spraying the apple trees which seem to be suffering from some kind of rust. Yesterday, I went out mid-morning to the Durham Herb Fair, which has been going for several years, but it was a first time for me. The local horticultural society puts it on and people come from kilometres around. I went to actually get some herbs. My thyme got toasted in the wild weather we had last winter, and I thought I'd add to my little herb garden beside the walkway to the house.
The fair is held in the former town hall, with vendors lining the the inside of the facility and all through the garden out back. The place was packed by 10 a.m. Lots of fantastic plants on sale, but also many local artisans were showing off their talents. Here are some cool pics from the fair:
I got the shopping out of the way right away and bought what I was looking for (plus some, ahem, much-needed extra basil and rosemary) from Rebel Roots Herb Farm. Bobbi Burnett is the lovely blonde lady in the picture. She knows everything about the herbs she sells. She and her husband also make and sell dried herbs, medicinal tinctures and infused oils. They have an amazing small farm just outside Durham where they hold workshops and educational sessions on how to grow and use herbs.
I chatted with this lady for a bit because I kind of fell in love with her six-month-old dog Molly. She had these very cool handmade glass pieces that she puts together from found materials. Never did get her name (bad on me), but I do have her card, if anyone's interested.
The Mengers were there with three of their 60 alpacas, as well as knitted and felted products made from their soft fleeces. Karen told me that these furry little cuties were just shorn on the May 24th weekend, which is why they still looked all fresh and cool. Their farm is on the same road as the Hanover Drive-In movie theatre (Grey Road 28).
Karen said that Andre's Alpacas have an open house every November, but that anyone can drop in and visit any time. I think I'll take her up on that.
Finally, I was really impressed with this compact showing of tonnes of different plants. I was more impressed when I found out that Riverwood Gardens is basically our neighbour. Okay, so it's a few kilometres down the concession road and around the L-bend, but practically next-door in terms of rural areas. Anne Bartlett is the owner, and we chatted about how difficult it is to stop choosing plants, once you get started. They're all so beautiful.
The fair included a tea room inside the building where people could sit and visit. It's obviously a popular event because the town was hopping with all kinds of yard sales at the same time.
Well, it's time for me to get down to business in my own garden - where the weeds are starting to outgrow the vegetables! Until next week.