From Farm to Family: Heidi Mungal’s commitment to good food and education

Heidi Mungal coaxes out the large mother pig, who is reluctant to leave her babies that are sleeping in the shelter.

By Leah Bauer

For Heidi Mungal of Generations Marketplace there is truly never a dull moment, everything from feeding livestock, and planting gardens, to teaching homesteading skills, and running a marketplace is all part of a day’s work.

Generations Marketplace, while presenting itself as a small-farm operation, has diversified to become a gem in local farming, homesteading, and agritourism. Mungal described this process of diversification, stating, “I own this farm with my husband, we are now the fifth generation on this farm. To maintain the legacy, and make it a reality we knew that we had to do things differently.”

For Mungal the new path forward for the farm was clear.

“I wanted people to experience what a farm really is.”

To say that the Mungal’s worked hard, and continue to work hard, to make this vision a reality would be an understatement. The notion of teaching people “how to do things themselves again” guided Mungal in creating Generations Marketplace. Today, her operation teaches skills such as raising animals, gardening, preserving food, baking, soap making, and bee-keeping. Classes are offered to both adults and children, with the goal of providing participants with “skills that people should be learning.”

The decision to diversify the small farm operation was also influenced by Mungal’s own experience in homesteading and motherhood.

“I have five kids, and when I started to have my children, I began looking at labels, and I realized my food is not what I thought it was. Even peanut butter is not just peanuts anymore.”

This realization renewed a journey that began long before Mungal became a mother herself. She recalled learning these skills from her mother and grandmother as a child.

“I grew up seeing food preserved by my mom and my grandma. They were doing it all the time, they baked from scratch and they cooked from scratch. Yet I didn’t know the real value of it until I had my own kids.”

Mungal’s passion for homesteading, and for providing “good food, created or sourced from good local businesses” began with her passion for her family. That passion eventually led her to educate others about what goes into the food they eat. In the spirit of community education, Generations Marketplace hosts “tours for all ages, community groups, and schools, so everyone can see how food is grown and raised.”

Mungal said one of the most rewarding aspects of the farm is seeing visitors connect with food production firsthand.

“The kids are astonished when they see a carrot get pulled out of the ground,” she said. “People in general are just so far removed from knowing how their food is grown, I really love bridging that gap.”

She hopes visitors leave the farm with an “appreciation and value for good food, not just highly processed foods.” She also gives children, and adults experience with the resilience that comes along with producing your own food.

“The weather lately has been all over the place. This is really hard for farmers, and gardeners, when growing your own food, you need to be able to go with whatever comes at you.”

Resilience is a trait that Mungal demonstrates in her own farm operation. While the farm has been in the family for generations, it has historically been home to cash crops. Mungal introduced multiple species of livestock, all living amongst one another. Each animal serves a purpose. For example, the guinea fowl help protect other livestock by controlling the tick population.

Having multiple species of livestock is a learning experience for Mungal.

“Doing multi-species on a farm is not common anymore either, or is growing multiple kinds of produce,” she said. “Even to find somebody to learn from is hard. You have to find like five different farmers to learn from when I’m doing five different animals. We’ve had some great local farmers come around us and help us learn how to do different things. But every day you’re learning new things.” Generations Marketplace is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors can find produce, meats, preserves, and baked goods from the farm, as well as a variety of other local vendors. Mungal believes that marketplaces such as hers allow the community to “support the small businesses so you are closer to where your food comes from.”

Check out generationsmarketplace.ca to see upcoming classes for adults and kids alike. 