The Kids Korner at the Sunday Market has arranged a special treat for the kiddos at the June 12th Market! Local pig-farmer Tim Anderson as recruited his cohort Matt Quisenberry to bring some of the farm’s smaller pigs for a pig-petting party! Kids will have a chance to meet the young pigs and do pig-themed activities with the Kids Korner volunteers!
The Delta Makerfarm sits a mile or so from Park Delta Bay on Brannan Island Road on the Delta Loop. On the 12-acre farm, pigs freely roam but come running when a fork-full of grass gets scattered and Farmer Tim calls, “Pig pig pig!”
On a recent windy spring day, Anderson spoke about pigs, pig-farming, and #deltalife. He observed that his pigs form a chain in the scheme of restorative agriculture. Naturally drawn to Johnson grass, the scourge of local farmers, the pigs eat down that invasive crop which can minimize the need for pesticide. They also can be instrumental in fire prevention. Even a small herd quickly consumes the dangerous overgrown underbrush that so quickly ignites and spreads across our Delta islands.
“On the night of the tragic Rancho Marina fire, my acreage stood out as an unburned patch in a wide scorched swathe, because the pigs had grazed on what would otherwise have quickly fed that swiftly moving fire,” Anderson observed. Before the fire across Andrus Island from his farm, Anderson had begun to graze his pigs on a neighbor’s field. Most of that neighbor’s field burned in the catastrophic event. “The pigs’ path through his field did not burn,” Anderson noted. “Where they had fed but also where they had trampled, remained largely intact.”
Anderson farms in the Delta as opposed to any other northern California region because of the area’s beauty but also because of the wonderful people here. He again cites the night of the fire to illustrate. “Strangers came to my land to help,” he stated. “Friends, neighbors, strangers — they all came out and helped each other here and at Rancho Marina. No better people than Delta folks.”
In addition to being incredibly cute as piglets, Anderson’s herd boasts healthy fat high in Omega-3s because of his grazing practices. Anderson notes that they will be sold as a high-quality food source to any interested parties.
But don’t tell the kids at the Kids Korner! We just think the pigs are adorable and look forward to seeing the babies! Visitors to the Kids Korner on June 12th will be able to “pose with a piggy” and ask questions about the cute little porkers! Every child will be able to take home their craft project and a little souvenir of their pig-petting experience!
The Sunday Market’s Summer Season starts June 12th and runs on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of June, July, and August. The Kids Korner has a different theme for each Sunday. The Market is free and open to all, as is the Kids Korner. Donations for materials are accepted but not required.
Nearly twenty vendors participate in the Sunday Market, with a dozen at each Sunday Market on a rotating basis. Silo Farm Organics of Walnut Grove sets up at each Sunday Market. This year we also welcome Delta Tails Farm, selling local chicken and duck eggs. Under the tent, vendors sell everything from goat’s milk soap to vintage glassware and hand-made doggie bows! Come check out original stained glass, Delta photography, soy candles, metalwork, and so much more!
The summer Sunday Market dates are June 12 and 26; July 10 and 24; and August 14 and 28. Hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Sunday Market vendors also anticipate being part of the Delta Loop activity on August 20th, with more information to follow about that event.
The Sunday Market is sponsored by the Delta Bay Foundation, a California not-for-profit with 501(c)(3) status. Park Delta Bay provides a venue to the Delta Bay Foundation without charge. For information about the Delta Bay Foundation, its mission, and events, contact Foundation secretary Corinne Corley via email at ccorleyjd@gmail.com or cell phone at 816-520-9152. See you at the Sunday Market!
Please enjoy this gallery of a few of the #DeltaMakerFarm pigs!
