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Photo courtesy of Saskatoon Farmers' Market
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The benefits of picking up your weekly groceries from the local farmer's market are many: superior quality and freshness, a chance to meet the farmers who grow the food, and the opportunity to be environmentally positive by buying regionally.
Summer and early fall mark the harvest of fresh vegetables and fruits, including the Saskatoon berry. With 100,000 lakes, rivers and streams it's no surprise to find excellent fresh fish at Saskatchewan markets.
A virtual sampling of Saskatchewan farmer's markets:
Saskatoon Farmer's Market
www.saskatoonfarmersmarket.com
Located on 19th Street and Avenue B, the Saskatoon Farmer's Market has been providing a taste of Saskatchewan since 1975. It's open year round and summer hours run from May through October: Saturdays (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Tuesdays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and Thursdays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Pick up the catch of the day (northern pike, whitefish, pickerel) from Fonos Fish, fresh garlic and shallots from Wally's Market Garden, and Saskatoon berry honey from Wild Serendipity Foods.
Regina Farmer's Market
www.reginafarmersmarket.ca
Located in the heart of the city on the 1900 block of Scarth Street, the Regina Farmer's Market has it all: a trendy, fun farmer's market in the midst of a vibrant city shopping district.
The farmer's market runs on Wednesdays (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Be warned, parking can be difficult. Free parking is available on Saturday in the SaskPower Parking Lot.
More Saskatchewan farmer's markets
Swift Current
Wheatland Mall, Highway 4
April through December
Thursday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May through December
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tisdale
Downtown
June through October
Tuesday: 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Weyburn
Weyburn Square Mall, Souris Ave. & 2nd St.
March through December
Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Find a farmer's market in your area
For a comprehensive listing of Saskatchewan farmer's markets visit SaskatchewanFarmersMarket.com.
Shop in season
May: asparagus, green peppers, lettuce, spinach.
June: asparagus, cherries, beets, carrots, green peppers, lettuce, new potatoes, radishes, spinach.
July: apricots, field tomatoes, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, cherries, green peppers, lettuce, peaches, peas, plums, raspberries, Saskatoons, spinach, strawberries, sweet onions.
August: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, corn, melons, nectarines, peaches, peas, plums, peppers, Saskatoons, strawberries, raspberries, chokecherries
September: corn, carrots, pumpkin, squash, potatoes, strawberries, chokecherries
Tips for successful farmers' market shopping:
-Do a little preliminary research by scouting the farmers' market website (if available). What's in season? What products would you like to try? If you do up a weekly menu, plan it around your farmers' market selections.
-Planning on stocking up for the week? Bring something on wheels -- a cart, a duffle bag -- to make light of your work.
-If you're making a day of it, keep a cooler in your car to keep your purchases (especially meats and cheeses) cold.
-Make an initial sweep of the market before you start toting up your purchases and, if it's logistically possible, save your heavy purchases for the end of your market outing.
-Consider bringing your own canvas or plastic bags to store your purchases. It's good for the environment -- one of the crowning mandates of the farmers' market -- and will be sturdier than one-use plastic bags.
-Bring cash! Many farmer's markets vendors don't have the set up for debit or credit cards and don't accept cheques.
-Don't overbuy. It's tempting, but remember the point of visiting the farmer's market is to get fresh food. Instead of overstocking on fruits and vegetables make the trip to a nearby farmer's market part of your regular shopping plan.
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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