Thank you, Westboro, for an incredible 2025 season!

On behalf of all the growers and producers, chefs and makers of the Ottawa Farmers’ Market Association, I want to thank you, the people of Westboro, for an incredible 2025 season!

I pen this year-end letter to the sound of rain dancing on my back deck – a welcome return of precipitation after five consecutive months of severe drought for most of the Ottawa region, with some growers to the south of the city sitting in the extreme drought zone. This was a very tough year to be a farmer in eastern Ontario! Despite the challenges of growing vegetables and raising animals with only 40% of the normal rainfall for this region, our producers persevered and brought an incredible bounty to market week over week. Tables of produce remained full while irrigation ponds reached all new lows for many of our growers, a testament to the lengths producers needed to go to this year to keep our food supply as local as possible for Ottawans across the city to enjoy.

This week’s rain brings the promise that local water sources will replenish over the fall and winter for the year ahead.

Of all five markets operated by the OFM, the Westboro Farmers’ Market has our highest ratio of farmers, which means this gorgeous market has become a utopia for the vegetable loving residents in Ottawa’s west end. Many of these producers are also first-generation farmers in their 30s and 40s. When residents show up to support these growers every week, you keep young people in an industry that is seeing over 60% of its population nearing retirement.   

Want to continue supporting your local producers and makers into the winter months? Many of them have invested in season extension crop planning, and offer fall and winter CSA shares, or even attend our indoor markets at Lansdowne Park from November to April, before returning to Westboro next spring. I welcome you to join us this fall inside the Aberdeen Pavilion for our Christmas and winter markets – please check out our Instagram @ottawafarmersmarket for details, dates, raffles, and more!

Thank you, Westboro, and see you all in May 2026!

Steph Kittmer

General Manager

Ottawa Farmers’ Market Association