I've lived all over the world but it wasn't until I lived in Denver, CO (and spent my weekends in Boulder, a town nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains just 45 minutes away) that I learned to appreciate "farmers markets". During the summer months I would go to the outdoor markets and stock my fridge for the week with farm fresh ingredients (i.e., fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy), deliciously prepared foods, and handmade goods sourced locally (i.e., soaps and lotions, handmade arts and crafts). It wasn't until recently that I ventured to the Calgary Farmers' Market, visiting two businesses featured on SixFootCanasian.com who have a space there, to better understand why it's a regular weekend destination for many Calgarians.
Why I Choose to Buy Local
As you may have already noticed from my blog ... I support local entrepreneurs and Calgarians working hard to make a difference in their communities. Farmers markets are essentially doing the same thing by providing local vendors with an opportunity to bring the freshest goods to people looking for "farm to table" quality. These markets provide a place where local vendors get to meet their customers, answer questions, get real feedback and see how their business is making a difference in their community. Buyers can feel good about knowing exactly where their purchases are coming from, picking from the freshest seasonal fare that is hard to find at any big box grocery store, and supporting the local economy by keeping Alberta dollars in our province. To be honest, I like buying products that:
- Come straight from the source
- Don't use unnecessary additives or preservatives
- Aren't affected by extensive handling and transport (i.e., refrigeration or freezing)
- Are unique to Alberta
- Come from a business that I can call (at any time) if I have a question
Breaking (some of) the Rules - Calgary Farmers' Market
When I first came to the Calgary Farmers' Market it WASN'T what I expected! First of all, when I typically visit any farmers market, I assume the following:
- It's located outdoors (and may get cancelled if the weather isn't cooperating).
- It's only open during the summer months (i.e., summer in Canada), only on Saturday and/or Sunday, and only for a portion of the day (4 to 6 hours).
- You are never completely sure WHO will be there from weekend to weekend (but keep your fingers crossed).
- You have to get there first thing in the morning (to secure a parking spot and to get stuff before it sells out).
- You have to bring CASH ONLY.
- There are NO bathrooms.
To my surprise I pulled up to a 65,000 sq.ft. facility, conveniently located off of Blackfoot Trail and north of Heritage Drive, with lots of free parking and amenities that make it more of a public market than any farmers market I've ever been to! It's home to over 70 vendors who apply to rent a space in the market to sell goods that they either "make, bake, or grow". Open from Thursday to Sunday (9:00am to 5:00pm) every week, this market welcomes an average of 20,000 visitors who get to enjoy a truly local shopping experience in the comfort of a beautiful environment designed for families (i.e., lots of bathrooms, a large seating area, wide aisles and a playground area for the kids).
One Stop Shopping for the Perfect Thanksgiving Feast
This weekend was especially busy at the market as Calgarians were getting ready to "gobble" up some delicious food with friends and family around the Thanksgiving table. People from all across the city came to get the freshest ingredients for their festive gatherings including:
- Meats and main dishes (from Bauer Meats, Heart's Choices, Market Seafood, Silver Sage Beef, and Spragg's Meat Shop)
- Fruits and vegetables (from Blush Lane Organics, the Cherry Pit, Innisfail Growers, Lund's Organic Farm, and Souto Farms)
- Appetizers and treats (from Beeland Market, Going Nuts, Jelly Modern Doughnuts, Orchid Pastry, Papa Chocolat, Sylvan Star Cheese, Silk Road Spice Merchant, Soffritto, Totalitea, and Yum Bakery)
- Gifts for the "unselfish" hosts (from Crafted, Field Stone Fruit Wines, Flowers at the Market, and Knifewear)
After a few hours wandering around the market I ended up with an iPhone filled with new images (that you can check out on our social media using the icons at the top of the page).
The Adventure Continues at the Calgary Farmer's Market
This weekend I was on a mission to get everything I needed for an epic Thanksgiving feast ... and succeeded. But ... I went home knowing that I didn't even get to venture into the food court for some delicious food and treats from amazing local vendors. I have to make it back in a few weeks (after I work off all the extra calories I've accumulated over the past 24 hours) to strategically eat my way through the different tastes and textures from around the world. UNTIL NEXT TIME!
(This post was originally published on www.sixfootcanasian.com on October 12, 2015)
Post your comment
4309 Comments
Michealded Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://calhaepturalni.tk>https://calhaepturalni.tk</a>
<a href=https://leyspenemacle.ml>cameron diaz fuck </a>
<a href=https://ticlibanticpmun.cf>ticlibanticpmun.cf</a>
<a href=https://norrdumatofin.cf>https://norrdumatofin.cf</a>
<a href=https://ciomudomysla.gq>webcam girls tight teens </a>
DouglasPot Posted:30 December 2019
<a href="http://tadalafil204.com/">buy generic tadalafil</a> <a href="http://kamagraf5h.com/">buy kamagra</a> <a href="http://viagra111.com/">generic viagra</a>
Michealded Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://caphapupolas.ml>caphapupolas.ml</a>
<a href=https://oridnerneu.ga>extreme teen camp at thomas </a>
<a href=https://lesurringni.tk>software teen chat room </a>
<a href=https://dansulaghveni.ga>online sex cam </a>
<a href=https://whimnailandubest.ml>https://whimnailandubest.ml</a>
Bobbyjab Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://cerlansjourkoger.gq>cerlansjourkoger.gq</a>
Charlespneum Posted:30 December 2019
<a href="http://synthroid0l1.com">side effects when using synthroid from quest bar together </a>
Michealded Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://hunttracbatorvers.gq>https://hunttracbatorvers.gq</a>
<a href=https://puvilnebetdeck.cf>puvilnebetdeck.cf</a>
<a href=https://breakpifecasttep.cf>bomb teens hot webcam </a>
<a href=https://abunyscafold.gq>abunyscafold.gq</a>
<a href=https://cheomerkbivil.tk>olympics cameltoe </a>
Michealded Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://cheomerkbivil.tk>cheomerkbivil.tk</a>
<a href=https://madureslarem.tk>madureslarem.tk</a>
<a href=https://breakpifecasttep.cf>https://breakpifecasttep.cf</a>
<a href=https://crookoxmora.cf>free teen live webcams </a>
<a href=https://kercardtbusob.ml>kercardtbusob.ml</a>
MillardAftek Posted:30 December 2019
dating teen chat rooms video <a href=https://myfreecamssexchat.club>teen chat cams </a>real voyeur cams xxx video cams sexy black girl webcam vintage camera stores art japanese teens webcams gey teen chat now 321 teen chat chat
chat room free adult live adult sex webcam webcam sex vids mtv fat camp dvd <a href=https://freecams.casa>freecams.casa</a>teen spy camera webcam pantyhose teasing teen chat ave christian teen chatroom gay teen chatroom parents
Bobbyjab Posted:30 December 2019
<a href=https://tadetworlrighnad.tk>cameron diaz penis </a>
DouglasPot Posted:29 December 2019
<a href="http://valtrexd6j.com/">generic valtrex</a> <a href="http://viagra204.com/">buy viagra online</a> <a href="http://albuterol1s1.com/">albuterol generic</a> <a href="http://sildenafil0o.com/">sildenafil online</a> <a href="http://prozacby6.com/">buy prozac</a>
« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 next »
No one has commented on this page yet.
RSS feed for comments on this page | RSS feed for all comments