Tired of wooden tomatoes from Mexico? Tasteless strawberries from California? Potatoes from Texas or apples from Australia? (All of which grow quite nicely here on our Canadian prairies, thanks very much!) What's wrong with this picture? Wouldn't it be better on so many levels to buy your veggies or baking, or preserves, or meat,for that matter, from a local producer rather than some faceless corporation in the supermarket? Obviously this is not always possible in the "off-season." But how about when these items are at their best, right in your own community? Does common sense not tell us; a) local food would be fresher,safer, better-tasting and even healthier; b) we'd save a lot in transportation costs; c) this would be kinder to the environment (avoiding all the harmful greenhouse gases produced when our food is trucked over long distances); d) we'd boost the economic health of those local producers? Keep reading and find out what folks in th

Visitors arrive at Kate and Doug Storey's Poplar Glen Organic farm near Grandview, MB. Kate (far r.) shows her guests some of the livestock. In addition to pork, the Storeys will have their free-range eggs for sale at the market, too! OTHER VENDORS: Tamela Friesen (l.with straw hat) and partner Karen Hardy (r. pic.);(AKA,the "Famous Bicycling Chicks.") They sell all kinds of fresh veggies and preserves. (They also operate a bed and breakfast just north of Roblin.) _____________________________________ Rowena and Larry Powell operate a vegetable market garden on a 6-acre parcel they call Earthkeeper Farm. It’s less than 20 kilometers northwest of Roblin. For five years, their produce was certified organic through the Organic Producers’ Association of Manitoba. While they no longer have their crops officially certified, their growing methods remain the same. “We grow organically because we believe in it,” says Larry. “

Yvette Bouvier of Boggy Creek, north of Roblin, will display an array of aboriginal art, including antler jewelery, caribou pictures and birch bark biting. ___________________ LATE ENTRY! Pat Kisiloski of Lake of the Prairies, near Roblin, will be there with sweet corn and some zucchini! ____________________ Don't forget, all during the summer, every Tuesday,the Roblin Farmers Market is going strong - from 10am to 2pm - next to the Post Office on Main Street! OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Plans are in the works for an herb demonstration, complete with recipe samples. (Those plans have yet to be finalized.) Paul Chorney of the Manitoba Food Charter will be there with a display about his organization. Funding from Heifer International - a US-based charity which strives to achieve food security for people around the world - made available through the Food Charter, has made this event possible. MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT: Pint-sized fiddling sensation Scott Cornelius will dr