Just outside Burlington, Vermont lies 350 acres of fertile flood plain along the Winooski River, which has been preserved for sustainable farming since 1986 when the owner of a local garden supply company decided to turn a polluted, dangerous wasteland back into an agricultural area capable of feeding its community. The Intervale Center is a collection of organic farms, trails, wildlife corridors and projects administered by a nonprofit society. In 2007 the farmers of the Intervale grew an inspiring total of one million pounds of food on this land. Its farsighted compost project has been going since 1987 and now turns 30,000 pounds of kitchen and yard waste into commercial compost products for home gardeners.

We visited Diggers Mirth, a farming collective of 5 farmers working 15 acres. It’s been going for 18 years and has a solid base of buyers from local restaurants and also sells at Burlington’s biweekly farmers markets. Farmer Hilary Martin

showed us around; here she’s in the pepper patch where landscape fabric keeps the weeds down and the heat and moisture in the soil.

Known for its mesclun mix, and its carrots,

the farm also produces a variety of crops like okra, watermelon and soybeans,

sweet potatoes and squash

fennel and tomatoes.

Pests include flea beetles, which can make lacework out of cabbage leaves

and deer. On Vancouver Island the answer to these is 8 foot deer fencing; here it is 3 foot high solar-powered electric fencing.

The whole of the Intervale uses only organic growing methods, and the ecosystem seems to be thriving as a result.

Like all organic farmers, the Diggers Mirth folk are resourceful with their equipment. I liked the washing station which uses repurposed washing machine innards.

The Diggers Mirth delivery truck has lately taken to doubling as a veggie wagon, circulating through urban neighbourhoods like an ice cream van, blasting disco tunes and handing out free watermelon.

The farm dog finds his work occasionally exhausting.

The Ottawa Folk Festival was smaller than others I’ve been to, with a lot of names and voices that were new to me. The highlight for me was the stomping performance by Hoots & Hellmouth, at the dance tent (what a great concept!); also liked Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans at the main stage. A sampling of others: cheeky vocalists from Quebec: Galant, tu perds ton temps –

with unseen percussionist Jean-François Berthiaume, who pitched in on a number with Scottish trio-minus-one LAU

and the highly energetic Welsh guitarissimo Gareth Pearson

The food offerings were not great, an odd assortment that included two Thai and two curry joints. Naturally I opted for a veg curry at the one that was giving away a tube of toothpaste with each order.

The festival offered a lot of practical fun for musicians, aspiring and otherwise, with plenty of jam sessions and workshops. The musical petting zoo let you try out all kinds of instruments, and get a little guidance on how to play them.

Sunday looked kind of like this from early morning:

with severe thunderstorms in the forecast, so we skipped a last muddy day in the park. We did not let a little rain stop us checking out the Ottawa farmers’ market at Lansdowne Park, though, which was very wet indeed. My strongest sympathies were with the plucky baker from Art Is In Bakery, which has no shop front but sells through specialist retailers and markets.

The fruit and veg stalls got off a bit more lightly

with freshly washed produce on offer, like German Stripe tomatoes, local grapes and multicoloured cauliflower.

Corn, of course, and carrots and cheese:

After six weeks of straight sunshine, last Saturday’s rainfall was a pleasure to the gardeners, not so much to those of us being dripped upon at the North Saanich Farm Market, where Slow Food had, for a second year, been invited to set up an information booth.

The experience was eerily similar to last year, since we managed to catch a rainy Saturday then as well. Be that as it may, the market is a small but lively one with a committed following, who simply brought umbrellas along and reaped the local bounty.

Rainy weather makes for a popular coffee concession, and the baking to go with it.

Luscious local fruit at the community table:

The market offers great local music every week (without a sound system on rainy days). This week it was The Sirens.

Information from Sea Change, working for marine conservation.

Every market should have its husbands. This one took care of tent drainage.