Submitted by the Tuesday Farmers’ Market group
Spring is in the air and the Tuesday Farmers’ Market is gearing up for a great start to the season.
The first market will be on Tuesday, May 20, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Centennial Park. Expect to find your favourite returning vendors, including Duck Creek Farm, Foxglove Farm, Nance Bakes, Salt Spring Sprouts & Mushrooms, Jane’s Dough, Windsor Farm, Vital Kitchen and many more.
With more than 10 farms attending the market, the produce variety is the best on the island. Freshness is unbeatable, with vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers harvested just for the market. Week to week the selection changes as crops grow and ripen. Spring greens, radishes and peas shift into summer crops like tomatoes, summer squash and peppers. Shopping at the market is a great way to think seasonally about your food, with opportunities to get excited for the first strawberries to appear or tomato season to begin. You can find unique produce like fresh-grown ginger from Foxglove Farm, or shishito peppers from Duck Creek Farm. Looking for local meat and eggs? Windsor Farm has you covered.
Expect to find other delicious foods at the market as well, including a wonderful variety of baked goods (yes, gluten free too), ice cream sandwiches, locally milled flour, hand-blended teas, vegan samosas, beverages and more. Everything you’ll find at the market is grown and produced right here on Salt Spring. Come early for the best selection or skip the crowds by shopping a little later in the day.
There will be some new faces at the market this season with a number of first-time vendors joining this year. Those include a variety of bakers, farms and other exciting food producers. The market gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to try out new products in a supportive public space. If you are a local food business and you’re thinking about joining the market, you can contact the market manager at sstuesdaymarket@gmail.com.
The Tuesday Farmers’ Market is a proud member of the BC Association of Farmers Markets, which enables the market to participate in the province-wide Farmers Market Nutrition Coupon Program. This program is a healthy-eating initiative that enables lower income families, pregnant people and seniors to use market money to purchase fresh food at the Tuesday Farmers’ Market. The money goes directly to farmers/producers and allows more of our community access to fresh and nutritious food.
The market runs every Tuesday until the end of October.