Organic September: the organic growers & farmers at Cardiff Farmers Markets
September is Organic September, the UK’s largest campaign dedicated to growing the organic market - and a good excuse to shine a light on some of the certified organic farmers and growers you can shop with through Cardiff Farmers Markets.
This year’s campaign is all about making organic feel simpler: small swaps that can make a difference, and choosing organic when it works for you rather than feeling you need to overhaul your entire food shop overnight.
That’s something our farmers markets are particularly good at. Shopping with us means you can buy directly from the people who grow and rear your food, ask questions about how it has been produced and make informed choices about what you take home.
Here are three of the organic producers you can find at Cardiff Farmers Markets every week.
A family-run farm in the South Wales valleys, Penrhiw Organic Farm has been producing organic meat since 1999.
Its livestock is reared to full organic standards, including Aberdeen Angus cattle and South Wales Mountain sheep suited to the farm’s grass-fed system. The cattle graze clover-rich pasture during the summer and eat home-grown hay and silage through winter, while its wider range includes beef, lamb, pork, mutton, chicken and free-range eggs, alongside homemade sausages and burgers.
It means shoppers can make an organic choice across some of the real staples of the weekly shop - while buying directly from a local farming family.
For something from the veg patch, look out for Paul’s Organic Veg, run by Pawel and Wioletta on a 17-acre plot just outside Abergavenny.
They’ve been growing organic vegetables for years, with a focus on seasonal, fresh and nutritious produce. Their aim is straightforward: to grow good food for their community, including vegetables available throughout more of the year thanks to two large commercial polytunnels funded through a successful community crowdfunding campaign.
The result is the sort of colourful, seasonal produce that makes shopping at a farmers market different every week. See what’s looking best on the stall, ask how they’d cook it, and let that shape dinner.
At Langtons Farm in Crickhowell, David and Katherine Langton run a certified organic market garden with a mission to grow vegetables that are good for people and the environment.
The couple established the market garden in 2020 and have since expanded the amount of land they grow on. Their organic veg boxes are available to collect from Rhiwbina Farmers Market on Fridays, with customers ordering in advance so the produce can be harvested and packed specifically for them.
It’s a particularly easy way to make organic part of your weekly routine: place your order, collect your box at the market and see what seasonal produce is waiting for you that week.
Small swaps, made locally
You don’t have to make every item in your basket organic to take part in Organic September. The Soil Association’s campaign this year is encouraging people to think about easy organic swaps and where they can choose organic in everyday life.
So this September, perhaps start with one thing: your vegetables for the week, the meat for Sunday lunch, or a veg box collected on your way home.
And when you buy it at Cardiff Farmers Markets, you get another benefit too: you can meet the people who produced it and put your money directly into local and independent food businesses.
Look out for Penrhiw Organic Farm, Paul’s Organic Veg and Langtons Farm at our markets this September and follow #OrganicSeptember for more ideas and inspiration.