It’s That Time of Year Again - Niagara Grape Season There is something about this time of year in Niagara. You can smell it before you even see it. Concords, Fredonias, Niagara grapes - those deep, sweet, unmistakable grapes that used to be a much bigger part of our landscape. Niagara has a long history of growing these varieties. Growers here were planting Niagara grapes as far back as the 1940s, while Concords became an important crop for juice and fresh markets. But a lot changed when the processing market disappeared. For years, Niagara growers supplied Concord and Niagara grapes for Welch’s grape juice through the Cadbury Schweppes processing plant in St. Catharines. That plant closed in 2007, and with it went Ontario’s only major juice-grape processor. And when you lose the buyer for a perennial crop, you don’t simply switch products the following spring. The vines are already in the ground. The trellises are built. The farm has been structured around a market that suddenly no longer exists. A federal agriculture committee later heard that Concord and Niagara juice grapes had “all but disappeared” from Ontario after the processor was lost. At its peak, juice grapes represented more than $6.5 million annually in farm-gate sales, and growers reportedly spent roughly another $12 million physically removing vines after the market collapsed. That is an enormous piece of agricultural history to lose. And it is part of why finding local Concords and Fredonias today feels a little more special. They are not just grapes. They are a reminder that agriculture is only as strong as the infrastructure around it. Farmers can grow the food, but there also needs to be somewhere for it to go. Processors, buyers, storage, distribution and customers all matter. When one major piece disappears, fields can disappear right along with it. Thankfully, these grapes are not completely gone. There are still Niagara growers Like Walker's Ridge Farm keeping some of these old varieties alive, so places like ours can keep selling Fredonia and Concord grapes directly to the public. So yes, it’s that time of year again. The baskets of Niagara grapes are back, and while most of us are thinking about eating them, making jelly or remembering what they tasted like when we were kids, there is a much bigger story sitting inside that basket. Once agricultural capacity disappears, getting it back is a whole lot harder than keeping it in the first place. So buy the grapes! Make the jelly. Support the growers who are still growing them. And remember that local food only stays local if there is still a market for it.
|
NOW $70 OFF REGULAR PRICE.
The All Beef Share is built to give you real, versatile cuts that actually make meals easier throughout the week. From steaks to slow-cooked roasts, to broth and everyday ground, this is the kind of food that fills your freezer with purpose.
Comfort Farms provides beef you can trust — raised without antibiotics, 95% (no spray) grass fed, non gmo grain finished, handled properly, and meant to be used fully, not just the premium cuts. This is how beef is supposed to be.
|
Romas - Get them before they are gone! $25 half bushel, $45 full
|
We are joining in on all the fun and the signs are going up! 🌱 Vote Small Scale Farms... Vote for local food. Vote for knowing where your food comes from. Vote for keeping more of our food dollars right here in our own communities. No promises. No politics. Just really good food. 😂
|
It's easier than ever to order online and have us delivered. The goal has always been real simple - make real food easier to get.
|
Brock students visited the farm and helped us clean up! What a great day...
|
Meat Sale
This weekend, we’re making it a little easier to fill your freezer with meat you can feel good about serving your family - and have us delivered.
Choose from locally raised beef, pork, chicken, sausage, and our popular meat bundles—all from farmers who care about raising food the right way.
This isn’t anonymous meat shipped from across the country. It’s real food from local farms, raised with pride and brought to our community by people who genuinely care about quality.
Whether you’re planning for summer barbecues, stocking the freezer before prices climb again, or simply looking for better-tasting meat, now is a great time to buy.
Real food. Real meat. Local farms.
Sale ends in three days, and many items are available only while quantities last. ❤️
|
|
|
|
JOIN OUR CREW Looking for a meaningful way to spend a few hours each week? We’re building something different at Small Scale Farms. A place where local food, community, and resilience come together. Volunteer opportunities include:
• Sorting and packing produce
• Helping in the gardens
• General farm and property projects
• Community events and workshops Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, meet great people, give back, or simply spend more time connected to where your food comes from, we’d love to meet you. No experience necessary. 4-Hour Volunteer Shifts Available Learn. Connect. Grow. SMALL SCALE FARMS
13145 Lundy’s Lane Message us to get involved.
|
*Use code 10%OFF at the checkout
|
Ticks are bad this year, mosquitoes are showing up, and many people are looking for alternatives to chemical sprays.
Neem oil has been used for centuries as a natural way to deter a wide range of insects. It’s derived from the neem tree and is popular with gardeners, homesteaders, pet owners, and people who spend a lot of time outdoors.
Whether you’re gardening, walking the dog, hiking a trail, or simply enjoying time in your backyard, a little prevention can go a long way when it comes to avoiding unwanted pests.
If you’re spending more time outdoors this season, now is a good time to make sure you’re prepared. Prevention is always easier than dealing with ticks after they’ve already found you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Small Produce Bag Sept 23rd and 24th
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
Come shop our market at 13145 Lundy’s Lane.
We've got great sales on right now.
Squash, apples, pears, grapes, are all rolling in now!
Some items are seconds, some are as fresh as fresh gets, but all of it is real food. We're doing everything we can to make good food not only accessible, but affordable.
Our meat, milk, eggs, chips, wraps, and specialty products are all carefully selected, with many sourced from farmers and
producers right here in our community.
|
Our Local Challenge started as a way to support local farmers, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s really a health challenge too.
Summer is busy. It’s easy to grab food on the go, swing through a drive-thru, or pick up something convenient because you’re tired and short on time. We’ve all done it. But those choices add up over weeks, months, and years.
What if, instead of focusing on what not to eat, we focused on adding more local food into our lives?
One extra local meal a week. One basket of local produce. One decision to choose food that was picked yesterday instead of something that spent days or weeks travelling.
The Local Challenge isn’t about perfection. It’s about making small changes that move us in the right direction. More real food. More local food. More connection to the people growing it.
Because health isn’t built in a day. It’s built one meal, one choice, and one habit at a time.
And it starts with us. 🌱💚
|
Most conventional sausages and processed meats contain added nitrates and nitrites as preservatives. More and more families are trying to reduce those ingredients where they can — especially when it comes to food they eat regularly.
That’s why Comfort Farms’ nitrate free heritage pork sausages have become such a favourite around here. Real pork. Real seasoning. No unnecessary fillers or added nitrates. Just honest food raised locally by Bob and Leslie Comfort right here in Niagara.
|
Fresh produce, thoughtfully sourced and priced to move. We bring in a wide mix of everyday staples and seasonal favourites so you can fill your kitchen with more real food for less, all in one stop.
|
Take the $30 Produce Voucher Challenge! 🌱 Good food has the power to change lives. Our $30 Produce Voucher Challenge makes it easy for businesses, families, and community members to put fresh, healthy food into the hands of someone who needs it most. Buy as many vouchers as you’d like, choose exactly where they go—whether it’s a local family, school, charity, employee, client, or simply someone in need—and we’ll take care of the rest. As a thank you, larger contributions receive recognition through our newsletter, website, or social media, but every voucher makes a real difference. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger community—one fresh meal at a time.
|
How It Works
Supporting your community is simple.
Buy one $30 produce voucher and we’ll place it on our voucher wall for someone who needs it. If you buy ten or more, you can direct exactly where they go. Every voucher still turns into fresh food for a local family. Simple, tangible, immediate.
|
Our Pick & Pack line was built for real life. Fresh fruit and vegetables at prices that actually make sense — because we work hard to move food, reduce waste, and keep good food accessible for more families.
How does it work? You grab a red 1/2 bushel basket, walk the section, and fill it with what your household will actually eat. No subscriptions. No pressure. Just affordable, fresh food in a way that feels simple again. Some weeks it’s farm fresh, some weeks it’s rescue food, some weeks it’s both — but the goal is always the same: keep good food moving through the community instead of watching it get
priced out or thrown away.
|
Davidson’s Environmental did it again! Huge shoutout to the owners for buying healthy, local food for their employees. I just think this is such a great way to take care of the people who work for you while supporting local at the same time. We need more of this. Lots and lots more!
|
🛒 How Ordering Online Works
1. Browse & Add to Cart Shop our weekly selection of fresh produce, local meat, dairy, and pantry items.
What you see online reflects what’s moving through the hub right now.
2. Place Your Order Checkout online anytime before the weekly cutoff:
👉 Sunday at 7:00 PM You’ll receive a confirmation once your order is placed.
3. We Pack Your Order Our team hand-picks and packs your order at the hub using the freshest available product.
Some items may vary slightly depending on availability — that’s the nature of working with real, local food.
4. Delivery or Shop In Person
5. Enjoy Real Food Your order is ready for your table — fresh, local, and part of a system that supports farmers and your community.
🌱 A Few Things to Know - We work with real food — availability can change week to week
- Some produce may be “seconds” (cosmetic imperfections, same great quality)
- Substitutions may happen when needed — always equal or better value
|
Local Finds A rotating mix of local, small-batch, and hard-to-find products we believe in.
|
Parasites are more common than most people realize. They can be picked up through food, water, pets, travel, gardening, and everyday contact with the world around us. While our bodies are designed to handle a lot, many people choose to do periodic cleanses as part of their overall wellness routine.
Wormwood has been used for centuries in traditional herbal practices and remains one of the most widely used herbs in parasite cleansing protocols today.
|
Looking to try something different? We’re looking for people to help sort our produce. A lot of what comes through here would normally get thrown out. We go through it, save what’s still good, and put it back out into the community at prices people can actually afford. It’s hands-on, it matters, and you see the impact right away. If you’ve been wanting to be part of something real, this is a good place to start.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
