High-octane food!
Farmers’ Markets—Your Direct Connection to the Producer
Do you or your parents talk wistfully about the old days when food tasted like food?Do you turn up your nose when you bite into a supermarket strawberry or a potato that likely spent the winter in a computer-controlled environment along with 50 million pounds of its brothers and sisters?
Hey, it’s time to get back to the basics, to de-technologize the connection between you and the good people who grow our food and raise our meat, time to short-circuit Big Food and start buying direct from the farm!
It’s almost easier done than said, too.
You see, throughout Alberta—from our biggest cities to lots and lots of small towns – there’s a huge network of farmers’ markets where farmers and artisans display their produce, their meats, their crafts and the fruits of their kitchen labours. At least until first frost, it’s fair to say no Albertan is more than a stone’s throw (by car, of course) from a farmers’ market.
They’re there because people are coming in increasing numbers, looking for fresh, local produce and food producers whose values include stewardship of the land (fewer pesticides, field rotation, organic growing) and closer relationships with their customers.
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development has assisted in the development of a network of 110 non-profit farmers’ markets throughout Alberta, and one of its farmers’ market specialists is Penny Wilkes.
“The number of markets hasn’t grown in recent years," says Wilkes, "but what has really grown is the number of people who shop at them.
“People are becoming more interested in who produces their food, and exactly how its grown, raised or made. Not only are people more keenly aware of things like pesticides, they’re also aware that because locally-produced food saves the expenditure of a lot of fuel in transportation, buying local cuts air pollution."
Finding a Farmer's Market Near You
Wilkes’ department has produced a comprehensive list of farmers’ markets in Alberta. You can use the menu to search by town or region, or to see which markets are happening in the coming week. The list contains links for the markets that have websites.Visit the Alberta Farmers’ Market Association which includes locations and tips for market shoppers. And be sure to check out the listings here on this site.
With only a few exceptions, farmers’ markets are generally open on weekends—usually, Fridays through Sundays. Some are only open on Saturday mornings, such as the Millarville Market southwest of Calgary. Most run at least once a week, but a few are scheduled less frequently. While a number operate year round in the big cities—such as Calgary's Crossroads Market and the Calgary Farmers' Market—the majority shut down in early to late autumn.
You'll find them on main streets and in parking lots, public parks, road side pullouts, Ag Society or Exhibition Association buildings, church halls and curling rinks. The largest inhabit their own dedicated buildings.
Top Attraction? Freshness!
Wilkes says people are also appreciating the 'fresh factor' of local food. “That’s the number one reason why people shop at farmers’ markets – beans picked in the last 24 hours taste better, and eggs are better a week or less after they’re laid.”At a farmers’ market, there’s an explosion of kinds of food that is only matched – ironically enough – in a supermarket.
At different times of year, you’ll find in-season produce, so the offerings ebb and flow with the growing season.
In high summer, of course, the selection is at its absolute platinum level. “From July until our first frost is the best it gets,” says Wilkes. You’ll find carrots, new potatoes, lettuces of so many kinds you’ll wish you were a rabbit, green and yellow beans, turnips, radishes, onions, broccoli, cabbage, celery, beets, squash, zucchini, peas – and those are just the vegetables! Lots of Alberta fruit and berry growers are displaying their strawberries, saskatoons and raspberries, along with rhubarb and a fascinating array of herbs (quick recipe! – new small potatoes, chopped garlic, olive oil and, man-oh-man, chopped fresh basil!! Make lots - no one will care what else is on the menu!).
And don't miss out on late summer/early fall trips, where you'll find every type of pepper—from eye watering to mild mannered—in every imaginable shape and size. Toward the end of the season, you can buy bags of multi-coloured bell peppers for the cost of a single red pepper in the supermarket. Roasted red pepper fans, unite!
More than Fruits and Veggies...
There are ‘protein vendors’ who sell all kinds of meats, fresh and frozen including free range chicken, ducks and geese and exotic meats like bison, elk and ostrich, as well as eggs and local cheeses. You’ll find what Wilkes calls ‘value-added food’ vendors who make wonderful pasta, sausage rolls, sauces, jams and jellies, pickles and savoury preserves, and a rainbow of home baked goods.In many markets, like Edmonton’s City Market on 104th, you’ll also find an explosion of ethnic value-added foods. The now-two-block-long market has teamed up with a local immigrant settlement agency to encourage new Canadians to share their culinary heritage and skill with other Edmontonians. This market used to be housed in its own building and home to about 20 regular vendors. Its recent move outdoors to downtown’s 104 Avenue sparked a huge increase, to more than 100 vendors.
And then, of course, farmers’ markets aren’t at all limited to food. At various markets, you’ll find skilled artisans selling highly-finished wood products, leather goods, pet accessories, clocks, photography, paintings, sculpture, quilted pillows and bedding, baby and kid clothing, and, as always, hand-made jewelry.
Early in the season you'll find vendors selling bedding out plants, seedlings, starter herbs and more. As the season progresses, many of these same operators sell fresh flowers, harvested from their fields the night before.
Gotta be the Real McCoy
Wilkes says one of the province’s criteria for approving farmers’ markets is that the people behind the stalls have to either be the producers themselves, or their employees. “We want to make sure that if people have questions about how the food is grown or raised, the answers are right there for them. For instance, did you know that our farmers markets contain produce that is at least 80 per cent Alberta grown?"And for shoppers looking for organic foods: “Don’t assume that a product is organic just because it’s sold in a farmers’ market. Don’t assume its organic if it’s labeled ‘natural’ or even if it's simply labeled ‘organic’. The only true organic foods are those whose label says ‘Certified Organic,’ and people whose products are certified will always have proof of their certification right there at the stall.
Ask to see it. They’ll be proud to show it to you.”
Winter Provisions
One last piece of advice from Wilkes…
“Farmers’ markets will start closing down later in the fall, but that doesn’t mean your supply of some local food products has to stop until the market reopens in the spring. Lots of producers continue to sell direct to the customer during the winter.”Producers who sell meats, eggs, cheeses, honey and the like, she says, are often happy to make arrangements either to deliver to a buyer’s home, or to establish a regular pick-up schedule enabling customers who pre-order to meet them at a designated place in town and take delivery of their products.
“Talk to your farmers’ market vendor, and just ask. Chances are good you’ll end up with a year-round supply.”
Super Suggestions!
Here’s a sampling of farmers’ markets in Alberta, just to whet your appetite:Grande Prairie – Wilkes says people aren’t aware of how good the Peace Country is for raising produce. “They’ve a long growing season and big pockets of heat in the Peace Country.” They grow excellent corn, strawberries and saskatoons. The market runs three days a week during the summer (Friday 4-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday 4-8 p.m.) After Sept. 27, Fridays and Saturdays only. Located in the Hanson Ford Building, 101 Street and 101 Avenue.
St. Albert (downtown) – A well-known traditional outdoor farmers’ market, but with a bent toward the up-scale. You’ll see lots of people who have incorporated unusual foods into their weekly diets. Saturdays 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. until Sept 30. Corner St. Anne and St. Thomas Streets.
Calgary & Area
Calgary Farmers’ Market – Located in an old airplane hangar on the Currie Barracks site, this fabulously successful market attracts more than 30,000 people every weekend. While there are lots of vendors selling the basics, there are plenty more catering to Calgary’s economic health with up-scale products and value-added foods (breads, soups, sauces, pitas, Greek dishes, you name it!) Off Crowchild at Flanders exit. Year-round. Fridays and Saturdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.Bearspaw (Calgary) – Run completely by Lions’ Club volunteers who turn every penny they earn back into the community. Sundays until Oct. 1, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Bearspaw Lions Clubhouse, 25240 Nagway Rd.
Crossroads Market – "Calgary's largest year-round indoor/outdoor market" is an eclectic mix of farm fresh produce and an extensive flea market at ground level, with the second level devoted to the galleries and antique shops of ArtSpace and home to the Loose Moose Theatre.
Millarville – The Millarville Market is what’s known in the tourism business as a ‘destination.’ That means it’s unique, high-quality and definitely worth the trip. It's also one of the oldest in the province. Plenty of in-town Calgarians and their acreage neighbours have made the Millarville farmers’ market part of their weekly routine. It’s a place to go and meet your friends, have a coffee, chat and, oh yes!, shop for great food. Saturdays 8:30 a.m. – noon, until Oct. 7. Located at the race track, 20 minutes SW of Calgary off Hwy 22.
Medicine Hat – The Medicine Hat Stampede Farmers’ Market has grown to include more than 90 vendors, including vegetables and protein products and value-added products from pies and pyrogies to syrup and spices! Saturdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. until October. Cypress Centre Fieldhouse or Pavilion (Same entrance both buildings).
By now, your mouth should be watering for a potato that tastes like a potato, for a strawberry that explodes in your mouth and makes you realize that THAT’S what they should taste like, for eggs with actual yellow yolks and for carrots with a sweetness and a crunch you’ll never get in a supermarket.
So check out the list of government-approved farmers markets right here, and start the process of buying wholesome food without having to worry about all those nagging questions about how it’s produced.
Bon appetit!
