The B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets is gearing up for a busy summer now that COVID restrictions have lifted.
They’re excited to remind Greater Victoria residents of a way to find fresh food and artisan goods at markets closest to them, using the B.C. Farmers’ Market Guide.
The guide lets users plug in location details online, then be directed to such markets as Moss Street, Esquimalt, James Bay or Oaklands, or heading north, the North Saanich Farm Market or Peninsula Country Market.
“We rent from the Saanich Fairgrounds, and we’re on a really open, grassy field where there’s tons of space and people have felt safe to shop,” said Marlene Hamer, market manager at the Peninsula Country Market. Shopping at local farmer’s markets is one of the most socially and environmentally friendly ways to spend, she added.
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“It’s close by, it’s fresh as can be, it doesn’t have to travel to get here and it keeps the money in your own community,” Hamer said.
More than 300,000 people in the past year visited the BC Farmers’ Market Trail website, according to a report by the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets. A non-profit organization, the association’s commitment is to support and develop markets across British Columbia.
Greater Victoria farm markets listed include:
– Esquimalt Farmer’s Market, Thursdays 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Bullen Park
– James Bay Community Market, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Superior at Menzies streets
– Moss Street Market, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Moss Street and Fairfield Road
– North Saanich Farm Market, Saturdays 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. John’s United Church (10990 West Saanich Rd.), until Oct. 16
– Peninsula Country Market, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays 4 to 8 p.m, now through October at Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly’s Cross Rd.
– Sooke Country Market, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2201 Otter Point Rd.
To learn more visit bcfarmersmarket.org.
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