Weekend Wanderings- The Brantford Farmer’s Market

Everyone loves fresh, wholesome food straight from the farm. The Brantford Farmer’s market, located at the heart of Brantford at 79 Icomm Drive is open every Friday from 9am-5pm and Saturday from 7am-2pm, year round. Dozens of local farmers, bakers and merchants set up shop downtown to bring the hungry citizens of Brantford farm fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, flowers and everything in between.

The Brantford Farmer’s Market first opened its doors in 1848 and has been delivering nourishing goodness to the city for an impressive 170 years and greets approximately 1500-3500 customers with its 49 indoor stalls and 15 – 20 outdoor stalls each and every week. Peak Harvest season ranges from May to October and brings the most variety of locally grown high quality produce.

Not only is it an economical, convenient place to purchase your groceries all in one place it also provides a feast for the senses each and every visit. Friendly smiles greet you along with the aroma of fresh baked goods and bright colours of carefully cultivated fruits and veggies.

Some personal favourites of mine that serve up treats that are sure to impress your guests at your backyard bbq include:

1. Carl’s Choice Meats offers delicious, juicy, choice cuts of meat with a smile on the side;
2. Tipperary Bog features the most savoury, ooey, gooey specialty cheeses to satisfy your soul;
3. Pies and Tarts from the Heart has a mouth watering array of pies, tarts, squares, cookies and corn bread;
4. Original Kettlecorn & Gourmet Popcorn, is a popular treat for the family offered in a variety of sweet and savoury flavours mmmm mmmmmm;
5. Brantwood Farms shares their carefully cultivated apples, strawberries and seasonal fruits and veggies;
6. Oegema’s Turkey Shoppe delivers healthy, lean meat full of protein and ready to be served up to your family in their favourite dish.

One of the unique and appealing features of the market is that it changes weekly and has new seasonal specialty delicacies to offer. It is an easy and fun way to invest your money back into our own economy rather than lining the pockets of the American corporations that corner the market in most aspects of business. It has everything you need to feed your family healthy and wholesome meals all under one roof. And it is a long held 170 year old tradition that makes up the very fabric of our culture.