Canadian summers are the time for enjoying sun-soaked days and balmy nights. It’s a time for water fights, backyard cookouts, and crackling fires surrounded by friends and family. Since this time is already so precious to us, we don’t want to squander it by not preparing properly. So, I’m going to do you a favour and cut right to the chase. Don’t waste valuable time searching for the perfect product to deck out your backyard for summer – Gerrie’s Farm Market in Elora already has everything you need to maximize your property’s summer potential.
Located on the corner of Colborne Street and Gerrie Road, Gerrie’s Farm Market has long been your must stop shop for fresh local produce, meats and baking. However, for the last couple of years, they’ve been expanding their outdoor entertaining options as well. This started with quality cedar wood furniture, expertly made by an Amish family run business in Chesley. These solid, durable pieces are ideal for anyone looking to keep a natural, rustic vibe to their outdoor décor. While you can stain them any colour that you choose, the beauty of cedar is that it will look just as good should you leave it to age naturally as well.
Another benefit of cedar is that it has the ability to resist moisture and the decomposition that comes with it – rural Ontario is covered with 100-year-old cedar fences that are still standing today. Which, if you ask me, is a pretty promising outlook for your own fresh cedar furniture.
However, if you are looking for something more modern or perhaps a pop of colour, Gerrie’s Farm Market also offers a large variety of colourful furniture made by Beaver Springs, a Melancthon company that produces furniture from HDPE recycled plastic.
The biggest benefit of these plastic pieces is that they will withstand any weather that is thrown at them. Don’t have the time or space to pack up for winter? No problem! Leave these bad boys out all season. A quick scrub with soap and water come spring will have them looking good as new.
Once you have your seating all worked out, you’ll want something to sit around. May I suggest a firepit made of top-quality steel, powder coated to give you the strongest resistant against the elements? Not only does Gerrie’s Farm Market have these on hand in a variety of designs, but they can also order anything that they don’t have on site, including custom designs. Ideal for gathering with drinks and stories, these firepits also offer a fantastic cooking experience. With a variety of grill add-ons and cooking instruments – extending even to a large wok – you can have guests over for a unique culinary experience under the stars.
Now, I know that everything I’ve suggested so far has been pretty standard summer fare. However, have you ever thought about including an outdoor sauna to your property? No? Well maybe it’s time that you did. Although an unusual sight here in Canada, saunas have been popular in the Nordics where they originated for centuries and come with a host of health benefits. Not only are they great for relaxation, but regular use of saunas relaxes the blood vessels, increasing your overall blood flow. This not only has major cardiovascular benefits, but can also help with muscle recovery after intense workouts or injury, and in some cases, they have been suggested to have weight loss benefits.
Gerrie’s Farm Market sells cedar barrel saunas in a variety of sizes and options, the biggest of which being wood burning or electric. Made from Canadian cedar, they have the same durability and style choices as the cedar wood furniture we’ve already discussed. Not only can they be picked-up already assembled, but Gerrie’s can also come and assemble one directly on your property, enabling customers to place their saunas anywhere, no matter how hard to reach.
While all of this is fantastic, and perhaps news to you, what shouldn’t be news to you is that Gerrie’s Farm Market is still a top-notch location for summer fresh produce. They have been growing their own produce chemical free for a number of years now, and in the process have been working on enriching their own soil, so that the fruits and vegetables they grow will have all of those nutrients right from the soil. What they can’t grow themselves, they bring in from quality farms around the province.
So, while you’re out this summer picking up your fresh local produce, take a look at the other products that Gerrie’s Farm Market has as well. It won’t just be sweet strawberries and delicious corn that you are wowing your guests with this year, not if Gerrie’s Farm Market can help it.
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT | RESOURCES: GERRIE’S FARM MARKET
