Master Gardeners at the Ottawa St Market

With so much heat and so little rain, it's a challenging time for backyard gardeners. Luckily for you, Master Gardeners will be at the Ottawa Street Market this Saturday, July 23! They'll be available to answer your questions and give you tips from 8am to 12pm. Don't miss out!

For those of you that come by, look for the Environment Hamilton table, where we'll be distributing the brand new, 2011 version of the Passport to Hamilton adventure maps, along with the Hamilton Farm Map and Directory and other EH materials.

See you Saturday!

Rural Routes takes home agri-innovation award

Check out the video below on the recent Premier's Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence ceremony, at which Rural Routes was named an award winner! Karen Burson, who accepted the award for her work on last year's series of local farm tours, appears around 2:25.

In case you missed the coverage in the Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton Eat Local was a regional winner at the agri-award ceremony on June 24. MPP Ted McMeekin presented the set of awards on behalf of the Ontario government for the winners' efforts to strengthen the province's farming industry.

Congrats to Karen and to the whole Rural Routes team!

Rural Routes heads to Murphy's Country Produce

The sky was clear, the air was fresh and the strawberries were ripe for the picking at Saturday’s Rural Routes trip to Murphy’s Country Produce in Binbrook.

The July 9^th adventure was the first of the summer in Environment Hamilton’s series of bus trips to local farms, and it was a great success! Brian Murphy, his daughter Megan and the friendly staff at Murphy’s invited the 40 of us to harvest from fresh and plentiful fields of strawberries, raspberries, sweet peas and fava beans.

Some spent an hour and a half filling their baskets in the fields, while others took some time to enjoy the beautiful day in the shade. Before leaving the farm, everyone stopped at the market to buy whatever they had missed during the pick, or to pick up some cherries and strawberry jam.

Many thanks are due to Smart Commute and HSR for their support.

Be sure to get your tickets soon for our next trips! On August 6^th, we’re heading to Shearlea Acres in Lynden for their eighth annual Corn Fest! The Boar and Chick Farm in Troy, which specializes in meat, will be the destination for the September 10^th trip. An October trip is also in the works, though details are to be determined.