The Village Market season of the Sawyerville Community Garden is on now until the end of September. A dozen producers were on site during our visit.
The 30 or so garden beds at the disposal of participating citizens are all occupied and giving abundant harvests to those who cultivate them. The garden site has two new permanent installations this year, bringing their number to five: The main pavilion, a shed for refrigeration, a tool shed, the pizza oven shelter, and the timber frame picnic shelter. As well, the pizza oven has been refreshed, with the installation of bricks to solidify the structure that was previously only built of clay.

An educational component
The educational aspect of the Garden is becoming more and more recognized. For a period of three months, Ms. Awa Ba from Senegal is staying in the region to learn more about organic farming. Accompanied by Jonathon Ellison of the Water for Women project, she will visit other farms in the Haut-Saint-François and in the Estrie region in order to return home with various market gardening techniques.

The Water for Women project is funded by Paul Desmarais Jr. of Power Corporation and helps Senegalese women, some of whom spend up to six hours a day collecting and transporting water. In the village of Awa Ba, a two-hectare garden is being built that includes a solar panel connected to an underground pump. The charity has proven itself elsewhere by helping women increase their vegetable production from 200 kg to more than 40,000 kg in 18 months.

A central role in the community
The Sawyerville Community Garden is increasingly becoming a focal point in the community. In summer, the new bike path along Route 210 passes in front of it, while walking paths lead to the garden from the nearby river. The transportation service of the HSF Transport de personnes is in action on market days, bringing East Angus residents to Sawyerville by way of Cookshire. Contact jcsawyerville@hotmail.com for more information.
While the Village Market is on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Mercrediners offer a new alternative on Wednesdays at lunchtime. It is possible to have a healthy meal cooked from ingredients that grow a few steps away in the Community Garden. To reserve a place at the table, call 819-889-3196.