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WHAT'S NEW
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Prince Edward Island farmer's markets
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Fresh-food lovers, get your summertime fill of vegetables, fruit and fun at a local farm.
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By Emily Kimber
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Like peanut butter and jelly, Prince Edward Island and potatoes just seem to go together. And they do -- there are more than 30 varieties of potatoes growing on the Island, including Yukon Gold, Century Russet, Chieftain and the popular Russet Burbank. At farmer's markets on PEI, you can choose your favourite, straight from the farm, before it's made into French fries and shipped all over the world.
While potatoes may get the highest profile of Island-grown produce, the spud is certainly not all there is to offer. Take your pick of red-soil grown asparagus, shallots, Chinese cabbage, garlic, ginseng, radishes, rhubarb and much more.
Buy some of your groceries at these markets:
Balderston's Farm Market
11053 Trans Canada Highway
Stratford
PE, C1B 2R7
Phone: 902-569-3318
Open: Daily, upon request
This roadside market tailors its offerings to what's in season. In July, it's U-pick season -- pick your own strawberries right from the patch or pick your own floral arrangement straight from the flower garden.
In the fall, choose from corn, squash, pumpkins and gourds. Also available are: homemade jams, jellies, honey, maple syrup and fruit pies. Proprietors Allan and Dianne Balderston, who are celebrating 50 years of serving Islanders, encourage visitors to call ahead and find out what fresh produce is available.
Charlottetown Farmer's Market
100 Belvedere Avenue
P.O. Box 2738, Charlottetown
PE, C1A 8C4
Phone: 902-626-3373
Open: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (year-round) and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (July and August)
With more than 60 stalls offering brightly coloured Island produce, handmade crafts and enticing international cuisine, you could happily explore -- and eat -- an entire day away. Thanks to a partnership with the PEI Association for Newcomers, designed to help new immigrants get started in the food industry, the market also boasts African, Indonesian, Thai and Polish cuisine among its many ethnic food stalls -- all are available to take out as well as eat in.
For those looking for more traditional market fare, there are plenty of Island-grown vegetables, including potatoes, leeks and asparagus and meat, ranging from beef to buffalo. Handmade crafts, such as knitwear, stained glass and pottery round out the market's offerings.
Chuckwagon Farm Market
5283 Trans Canada Highway
Eldon
PE, C0A 1A0
Phone: 902-659-2181
Open: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday (June to October)
If you're driving east on the Trans Canada Highway, you won't want to miss the Chuckwagon. Packed with fruits and vegetables picked daily from proprietors David and Rose Egan's garden, the roadside Chuckwagon offers fresh produce daily.
Be sure to grab a basket and take a stroll through the U-pick Herb Garden to choose from a variety of aromatic fresh herbs. If you're exhausted from all that picking, stop into the attached Saloon and treat yourself to a fruit smoothie or ice cream. You can also stock up on old-fashioned preserves and jellies here.
Jewell's Country Market
11 York Road, Route 25
Marshfield
PE, C0A 1P0
Phone: 902-629-1900
Fax: 902-629-1902
E-mail: edwin@jewellscountrymarket.com
Open: Daily, May to October
As PEI's largest farmer's market, Jewell's Country Market offers just about everything -- and plenty of it -- under its bright red roof. There are award-winning vegetables grown on manager Edwin Jewell's York farm, flowers to plant or display as well as baked goods and 49 flavours of ice cream. Jewell's also features a gift shop with wares from local artists and craftspeople.
Nabuurs Gardens
4986 A.A. MacDonald Highway, Route 4
RR#2 Montague
PE, C0A 1R0
Phone: 902-838-4510
Fax: 902-838-4786
E-mail: arnold.nabuurs@pei.sympatico.ca
Open: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (year-round)
Nabuurs Gardens, formerly located in Lower Montague, has moved its greenhouse and garden centre to Brudenell, where owners Arnold and Mary Nabuurs have expanded their offerings. Now, there's a gift shop and market featuring local produce, crafts, preserves, woodworking and other PEI crafts. You can pick up fresh strawberries at the new location, or pick your own at their nearby U-pick.
From highway-side stands to multi-stall markets, you can pick up farm-fresh vegetables and fruit across the Island, along with baked goods, preserves and handmade crafts and gifts.
See the entire range of Homemakers.com's Canadian farmer's markets series, mapped out with Microsoft's Live Search Maps by clicking here.
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