Rural women celebrate 25 years

By Carolyn Sloan

The Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Capable, hard-working, and persevering, these rural women give new meaning to the term Girl Power.

Like Crystal Brydon of Berwick, who tends to her busy family farm, complete with sheep, pheasants, chickens, and a sugar bush, while working part-time as a registered nurse, and raising five children. And then there’s Amy Skelton of Margaretsville, a young mother and farmer, who in addition to running several businesses, finds the time to instigate and coordinate a farmer’s market in the Town of Middleton.

These were the kinds of entrepreneurial women who shared their stories at the 25th Annapolis County farm and Rural Women’s Day, held April 29 at the Lawrencetown fire hall. While still rooted in life on the farm, the event’s central themes in its silver anniversary year focused on self-publishing and local foods.

Along these lines, local author and historian Dave Whitman gave the audience insight into the process of starting with an idea and taking it through to a published book. He offered tips on how to self-publish a book and what resources are available to do so in the Annapolis Valley.

For his first book, Dave had spend 30 years digging up material on the virtually unknown Roxbury settlement, originally inhabited by Mi’kmaq and Acadians.

“Everybody has a Roxbury in their own mind, in their own life,” he explained to the audience, encouraging them to find that one idea or area of interest that they could write about.

Another self-published author, Kyla Pierik of Bridgewater shared her experiences publishing her own cookbook, The first batch of Treasured Recipes from Home. A collection of old fashioned recipes that she had treasured for many the years, the book included family photos, as well as stories about why the recipes had a special place in her heart. The first cookbook, as well as the upcoming sequel, also promote foods that are produced locally.

“Recipes are the glue that hold our communities together,” said Pierik. “Connecting people with the food that they eat is something that’s very important to me.”

Initially, the author began by printing 1000 copies, using her own hard-earned savings to publish the cookbook. Before going to print, she had already sold 200 copies, and within two to three weeks, she was on the Canadian bestseller list.

“It was a big risk,” she explained. “I used my own savings to do it… [But in the end], people really were relating to this book. They were using it all the time.”

EATING LOCAL FOODS

Eating local foods

Another hot topic for the day was buying and eating locally produced foods. In addition to a presentations from Ellen Simpson of the Women’s Institutes of Nova Scotia on their buy local survey, and the Ecology Action Centre’s Marla MacLeod on the Food Miles project, local farmer, chef and entrepreneur Amy Skelton spoke about the new farmer’s market that she is starting and coordinating in Middleton.

Located on the corner of Commercial Street and Marshall Street, the market will begin on May 23, and will run on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vendors from around the area will be selling fruits and vegetables, as well as locally produced meat and eggs, including organic options. Artists and craftspeople will also be included in the market, as well as a French bakery and live music.

For Skelton, who runs an organic farm, finding locally produced food for her family isn’t always easy. Finding a place to sell her own products locally was a challenge as well.

“It takes a lot of effort to buy food locally without a farmer’s market,” she told the audience, explaining her inspiration for creating the new venue. “People want local food. They want to support their local economy… They want food with fewer health risks from chemicals.”