Brantford Travel: The Brantford
Farmers’ Market, a Bike Ride and a Historic
Train Station with a Gallery
After our action-packed morning which included
a tour of The Bodega Inn, a visit to the Bell Homestead
and the historic Mohawk Chapel, the Brantford Farmers’
Market was our next destination. This historic farmers’
market has a long tradition: it was held for the
first time in 1848 and is open Fridays all day and
Saturdays from 7 am to 2 pm. The market was filled
with locally grown fruits and vegetables, and I
enjoyed the opportunity to talk with some of the
farmers and merchants. A wide variety of meat products
can also be found here: frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving,
Polish sausage, London Broil, stuffed pork tenderloin
and a wide assortment of freshly cut meats. One
merchant was explaining the concept of whey butter
to me, which is made from the liquid that is separated
from the curd during cheese making. She called it
“whey better butter”.
"Whey better butter"
A young merchant was selling gourmet cupcakes,
which she bakes herself and sells on the weekend
through the Farmers’ Market. Seductive flavours
like vanilla chocolate or chocolate cherry cheesecake
were enticing me and I was surprised to find out
that she sold 400 to 500 cupcakes every weekend.
Another lady was selling home-made fruit and vegetable
pouches and other Mediterranean goods such a baklava,
hummus, tzatziki and taboulah.
Delicious-looking cup cakes
One merchant was selling organic vegetables that
are grown according to the philosophy of “community
shared agriculture.” This means that for a
subscription of $25 a week two adults can receive
16 weeks of freshly grown local vegetables. The
participants in the program agree to receive whatever
is currently harvested, and the whole program has
benefits for everybody: farmers receive payment
early in the season which helps them with cash flow,
consumers get completely fresh vitamin-rich organic
food, and the collective carbon footprint is reduced
due to minimal transportation requirements and the
absence of fertilizers and pesticides.
Community shared agriculture explained
Some merchants gave us apples or grape tomatoes
to taste and everyone was in a good mood and we
had a great laugh. Outside the market building a
small band was playing folk music. Before we left
the market I got to talk to a local maple syrup
producer who explained the different grades of maple
syrup to me: extra light, light, medium, amber and
dark. I learned that the first maple syrup made
in the season is lighter coloured and the sweetest.
The sugar content drops as the weather gets warmer.
Maple syrup making in this area only lasts from
about February to early April, and it takes 40 gallons
of maple sap to make one gallon of syrup. The Brantford
Farmers’ Market turned out to be a great place
to visit and provided a nice opportunity to connect
with the locals and learn about their products.
Maple syrup for sale
Our whirl-wind tour of Brantford continued with
a brief stop back on Harmony Square where there
was a child-friendly Fall Festival going on. Children
were being entertained with a fashion show, a hip
hop dance class, make-up applications and other
dance performances. The organizers indicated that
this event was being held for the first time with
four local merchants participating. Next year they
are planning to include many more merchants and
intend to provide even more free entertainment during
the next Harvest Fest.
A fashion show on Harmony Square
Inspired by all this physical activity, it was
now time for a bit of a workout for ourselves: Melissa
took us on a much-needed bike-ride beside the Grand
River. We parked the van beside the Brantford Civic
Centre, behind the OLG Casino and started our bike
ride to explore the extensive recreational trail
network that Brantford has to offer.
Melissa Stevens, our local expert in Brantford
Melissa first took us on the Trans Canada Trail
and our first stop was at a plaque that commemorated
Brant’s Crossing, the place where Brantford
was founded in the late 1700s by Mohawk leader Joseph
Brant. From here we cycled across a bridge to the
Gilkinson Trail on the western bank of the Brant
River. Brantford’s trail system along the
Grand River is part of the 80 kilometre long Hamilton
to Cambridge trail. Melissa pointed out that Brantford
offers great opportunities for active vacationers.
In addition to the outdoor trails and nature areas,
Brantford is also a popular destination for hockey,
baseball and other sports tournaments and attracts
tens of thousands of visitors every year to different
sporting events.
Bridge over the Grand River, as viewed on our bike
ride
We quietly cycled down the Gilkinson Trail, following
the winding path of the Grand River, and enjoyed
the warm fall air. A canopy of Carolinian forest
trees was overhanging the pathway and gave the area
a serene and southerly ambience. Various educational
displays beside the path invited us to stop and
learn about the local fauna and flora.
Pedestrian / cyclists' bridge over the Grand River
Now thoroughly famished from our workout we returned
to the van and resumed our drive to have lunch.
We stopped briefly at the historic railroad station
of Brantford which today is still one of Canada’s
most active train stations and an important stop
on the Windsor - Quebec City rail corridor. Next
to the train station is the Station Coffee House
and Gallery, the destination for our late lunch.
This café is located inside a building that
is part of the historic Brantford Railway Station
and also features a gallery that showcases local
and regional artists.
The historic train station in Brantford
The Station Coffee House & Gallery offers diverse
menu choices such as bagels, breakfast sandwiches,
toasted westerns, BLTs, omelettes and sandwiches,
rounded out by a variety of sweet goods such as
cheesecakes, pies, cookies, various pastries and
specialty coffees. I decided to have the mushroom
soup, followed by a chicken wrap, a perfect choice.
Apparently the mushroom soup at the Station Coffee
House & Gallery has been designated as one of
Canada’s best mushroom soups according to
one of the Globe and Mail’s food critics.
A well-deserved lunch after our bike-ride
The owner, Mike Tutt, joined us and gave me a tour
of the Via Rail Station. He explained that this
is the 11th most active station in Canada and handles
nine trains a day. Actually about 150 people commute
from here to Toronto every weekday morning, illustrating
that this train connection makes it feasible for
people to enjoy life in a small town while working
in the big city.
Mike Tutt, owner of the Station Coffee House &
Gallery inside the train station
The train station was built in 1905 and is protected
through Parks Canada. Mike’s café even
sports an authentic station sign for Brantford and
a collection of other historic pictures. His connection
with the Brantford train station is close: he used
to work at the caboose station himself as a teenager.
Today the Brantford railway station attracts hundreds
of train buffs from all over the world.
The Coffee Station Station House and Gallery
Mike opened the Station Coffee House & Gallery
in early 2009, always with the intention to promote
local artists. His gallery features different artists
on a regular basis, and he even has a painting made
by Kevin Hearn, drummer for the Barenaked Ladies,
on the walls. Live music, special events and gallery
openings highlight the social calendar at the Station
House Café and Gallery.
The Station Coffee House and Gallery
After our fulfilling and interesting late lunch
stop we got back in the van and headed to Paris,
a quaint riverside town from mid 1800s, about 15
minutes from Brantford.