Keira-anne.com

You’ve no doubt noticed milder temperatures and sunnier mornings in recent weeks but there’s still a bit of time until Spring makes its official debut.

Farmer’s markets have quickly become a Saturday staple in most communities, but winter farmer’s markets are also gaining traction.

Photo: Victoria Public Market

Since 2010, the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society has brought the fresh, local flavour of farmer’s markets to the Victoria area and this year the brand-new winter market has already proven popular. On the first and third Saturday of each month, area farmers, food vendors, fishermen, cheese makers, bakers and live musicians have been converging on Market Square’s inner courtyard.

This free, family-friendly gathering provides a place for residents to obtain high quality, local feast-worthy food while directly supporting the community’s economy. The winter farmer’s market will be held on February 18th – for this weekend only – at Seedy Saturday at the Conference Center. You can find the winter farmer’s market at its usual spot on March 3rd and 17th before vendors will be gearing up for Spring and Summer!

For more information on the Victoria Downtown Public Market Society and its events, visit them online, on Facebook or on Twitter.

I get excited when I come across a new-to-me Island-based business or initiative, so last week I was thrilled to learn about Faires Farms just outside of Parksville.

Based on the increasingly popular SPIN method – otherwise known as Small Plot INtensive – Faires Farms provides area residents with fresh, local produce they might not otherwise have access to. This sustainable method makes use of unwanted lots or unused backyards, so Faires Farms is able to keep costs low while making exceptional use of the rich Island soil.

Photo: Faires Farms – Used With Permission

Faires Farms is a collaboration between husband and wife team, John and Nicole Faires, and is getting set for their second year of growing. Land on the Island can be steep in price, but Nicole and John are committed to their vision. “Many people either can’t afford local organic food, or can’t get it because it’s just not available,” Nicole told me. “We want to make it possible for everyone on the Island to have access to fresh, natural vegetables and herbs. Mediocre just isn’t an option anymore. I want families on the Island to be able to make the local organic choice easily.”

All garden beds within the Faires Farms family are Certified Naturally Grown, meaning that they follow the strictest organic standards and take extreme sustainability measures. This includes using no-till methods, permaculture techniques, rainwater collection, and sourcing their soil inputs from the Island’s own bioregion. Nicole calls it an alternative to organic certification that’s run by farmers and without the politics.

Photo: Faires Farms – Used With Permission

You can find Faires Farms’ fresh produce at the Qualicum Beach Farmers Market between spring and fall or sign up for their weekly delivery service. Delivery is available in family size or a personal bag (great for one or two people) and guarantees 8 – 10 different items each week. The delivery boxes include a newsletter, a big bag of mixed baby greens, a big bunch of carrots and 6-8 other popular things such as tomatoes, potatoes, kohlrabi, radishes, broccoli, basil and more. When it’s in season, Faires Farms also sources locally grown organic fruit.

Faires Farms currently delivers to Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni, Lantzville, Nanoose Bay and Nanaimo. They hope to soon expand the delivery service to the Comox Valley and Campbell River once the interest grows. For more information on Faires Farms, please visit them online. You can also find Faires Farms on Facebook or follow along with Nicole on Twitter.

Always a fan of shopping locally, I was pleased to hear that my friend Amber recently started a business in Victoria catering to mamas and their newborns. Bonny Baby sews charming and cozy swaddling blankets to keep babies warm and moms happy.

Photo: © Bonny Baby Blankets

A two-sided combination of smooth quilting cotton and fuzzy flannel, Amber’s Bonny Baby blankets are both functional and entirely sweet. To accompany the blankets she has also created coordinated burping cloths. Featuring charming prints, Bonny Baby blankets are quickly becoming a hot commodity in the Victoria region.

Photos: © Bonny Baby Blankets

While you can purchase Bonny Baby blankets both on their website and at the uptown location of Lil’ Sweet Nancy’s in Saanich, Bonny Baby wants to give one reader three opportunities to win a swaddling blanket and matching burping cloth. Whether you’re expecting or you know of someone who is, a Bonny Baby blanket would make both a beautiful – and local – gift this Christmas season.

Here’s how to win…

1. Leave a comment below telling me who you would swaddle your Bonny Baby blanket with. (1 entry)

2. Visit Bonny Baby on Facebook and “like” them. (1 entry)

3. Follow Bonny Baby on Twitter and post the following: (1 entry)

I entered to win a @bonnybabyvic blanket from @keiraanne. RT and follow to enter! http://tinyurl.com/8yqlhqd

I will select one lucky winner at noon on Monday, December 19th! If you’d like to order a Bonny Baby blanket for yourself, you can e-mail Amber directly. Blankets are sold in pairs for $60 (including shipping within Canada). Burping cloths are sold for $16 per pair.

The contest is open to all residents of Canada. Winner cannot have won a prize on Keira-Anne.com within the last six months. Prize has no cash value and is non-transferable.