OXFORD – It’s time to start thinking about springtime planting. Come to the Oxford Winter Farmers’ Market, this Saturday, March 5 to share your extra seeds, pick up something new to grow in your garden, and to stock up on produce, baked goods, kitchen staples, and hand-crafted items. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Parish House Community Center of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, on Main Street in Oxford.

“We plant seeds to welcome new life,” notes Chief Vhutanda, a traditional farmer from the Venda region of South Africa, in the film Seeds of Freedom (2015). “Our indigenous seed builds towards the future. You plant it together and share it.”

Bring your open-pollinated, non-GMO, heirloom seeds to the community seed swap table at the Oxford Winter Farmers’ Market, and take home something new, unusual, and hardy to our region. Packets, label forms, and supplies will be provided. Swapping seeds is an excellent way to save on seed cost, to find unusual varieties of heritage seeds (some saved for generations upon generations), to share knowledge and pick up tips from fellow gardeners, to help protect plant diversity, and to improve our food security. No seeds to swap? No worries! Swing by the table for free seed packets to plant in your garden.

Join your neighbors to celebrate the coming of spring by sharing seed, support local producers, and enjoy a “Local Lunch” made with market-sourced ingredients.

– Submitted by the Oxford Farmers’ Market