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Saturday At The Guelph Farmers' Market
by Karina Flores, The Sassy Tomato
With over 190 years under its belt, the Guelph Farmers’ Market is probably the oldest farmers market I know. The market has been around since 1827 and remains an integral part of the community and a destination for many locals and visitors on Saturday mornings. The market located downtown Guelph is open year round and starts bright and early at *8:00am and is open until *1:00pm.
The Guelph market is significantly larger as many other markets in the area, with over 120 vendors in the summer and around 60 in the winter. It can get quite packed during its peak hours between 10:00am and noon so I would recommend to get to this market early! This way you can take your time and leisurely explore the market. Being there early also means you get your hands on some of the best stuff before vendors sell out!
Let me take you through my visit of this historical market and show you which products you can expect to find during your visit.
I used to frequent the Guelph Farmers’ Market quite regularly in the past and I was glad to catch up with some of my favourite vendors.
I was happy to see some of the changes that have been made, such as a big market map. It highlights all the vendors, whether they are a farmer or reseller and where they are located. It definitely helps you find what or who you are looking for, especially during the summer months when the market is twice as big!
In the summer the market expands to the outdoors to accommodate more vendors, primarily fruit and vegetable farmers and their bountiful harvest. Inside the market building you can expect to find your meats and cheeses, eggs, bread, coffee, preserves, and a variety of artisanal products, arts, and lots and lots of food to keep you sustained during the market visit!
You can get some fresh donuts, waffles, momos, dumplings, even baklava and more! Laza Food and Beverages keeps you hydrated and full with their hibiscus drinks, juices, hot beverages and breakfast snacks offered out of their market café.
There are a couple of vendors I make sure to visit when I am the Guelph Farmers’ Market, and Wild Leeks Farm is one of them.
This particular Saturday, Wild Leeks had the most beautiful vendor booth arrangement I had ever seen! Their vendor table boasted cucumbers, plump and beautiful heirloom tomatoes, cute little cherry tomatoes, a tower of different garlic varieties, eggplants, peppers, onions and a pyramid of their lovely multi-colored radishes.
I even got to try a Litchi tomato! What?! I know, I was surprised, too! I had never heard of such a variety, and it was quite the treat and adventure to try such a curious fruit early on a Saturday morning. Its outer skin was a little tougher than a regular cherry tomato and it was more seedy. It tasted of litchi but had the sweetness of a tomato.
After Wild Leeks, I visited some old farmer friends who were still located at the same spot, right beside the door that leads to the outdoor market. They always have the most amazing tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. However, what I like the most is that they have a “tomato tasting” at their vendor booth so you can taste their different varieties of tomatoes!
For bread, check out Grain Revolution with their delicious and tasty traditional sourdough. You can also visit Mediterranean Delights who also specializes in sourdough, but with Mediterranean flavours. They also offer a variety of other sourdough based treats and jams.
There are plenty of vendors carrying cheeses from Ontario dairies, including Monforte Diary and Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese. You can also find a large variety of meats, sausages, bacon and other meat products.
You can also find vegan products like organic oat and almond milk from Moo Free Beverages.
Some vendors have been part of the Guelph market for years! I had a chance to talk to the owner of Brantview Apples and Cider who has been a vendor at the market for 30 years – Amazing!
Around late August, early September, you will find the market full of apples, peaches, plums, and the last of the season’s blueberries, blackberries, and cantaloupes and watermelons. As October moves around, we start to see a more fall vegetables from squash to root vegetables like sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots.
I could keep on writing about this market all day and about what you can find here, but there is no better way than to go and explore it for yourself!
Go early and take some time to explore the area around the market, too. Enjoy downtown Guelph, its neat shops and amazing eateries. My favourite post market treat is a chocolate almond croissant and a cappuccino from Eric The Baker. Yum!
For more information about the Guelph Farmers’ Market your can visit their site: www.guelph.ca/farmersmarket
For more information about Taste Real you can visit: www.tastereal.ca
- Sassy
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Guelph Farmers’ Market
Year Round
Saturdays: *8:00am - 1:00pm
2 Gordon Street (at Waterloo Avenue), Guelph
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*text updated to reflect 2022 opening hours
