St. Lawrence Farmers Market
92 Front Street East
Saturdays, year-round
5am - 2pm
When it comes to farmers markets, St. Lawrence in the Granddaddy of them all. The oldest, biggest and most raucous; if it grows in Ontario, it’s probably here. For the sake of space and topicality, I’m keeping just to the north building of the complex for this article, where every Saturday morning since, oh, 1803 or so, farmers have gathered to sell their goods. The south market building, which is full of permanent vendors open from Tuesday to Saturday, is also fun to explore, but is more like a collection of cool food shops, as opposed to farmers and food producers selling their own wares.
The north farmers market building has gone through many changes, demolitions and disasters in the past two centuries, having at times been partially open-air, or including a canopy that covered Front Street, and at one point stretching as far north as King Street. The current building was erected in 1968 and offers 10,000 square feet of space. Most importantly - this site has always been a farmers market.
Inside, vendors start selling their goods at 5am, and on a nice Saturday morning, many find themselves sold out not long after noon.
With probably the most comprehensive website I’ve seen for a farmers market, St. Lawrence offers both a list of vendors and a map (colour-coded by product category) showing where everyone is located. However, regular customers need no such hand-holding, as they make their way to their favourite vendors for eggs, veggies, baked good and sausages.
With over 50 vendors during the peak season, it would be difficult to name them all, but some favourites that I personally always like to check out include British Baked Goods for authentic tarts, Eccles cakes and biscuits; Marvin Gardens and Produce for fruit, veggies and flowers; Harlan Clark for eggs; El Gaucho Chorizos for sausages of all flavours; Clement’s Poultry; Bilski Farms for fruit; and prepared food vendors like Viva Tastings for gorgeous hors-d’oeuvres and Raani Foods for homemade samosas and naan.
The south market building offers kiosks for crafts and other items, and the whole complex presents weekly events including tours and family festivities such as last month’s Hogtown Hoedown, an annual corn roast and Buskerfest.
For regular market shoppers these events can make the market crowded and chaotic, and if grocery shopping is the main intent, it can never hurt to arrive before 9am, or even earlier.
And while the St. Lawrence Farmers Market is a year-round occurrence, it does empty out a bit come January when a lot of the vegetables are out of season. But even then, there’s still plenty of locally grown and produced goodies to be had and it’s actually nice to drop by when the place is not so packed and chat with the farmers, bakers and cheesemakers, and try their products.
A visit to the Saturday morning St. Lawrence Farmers market doesn’t just allow customers to be part of the local economy by supporting Ontario farmers and producers, it allows them to be part of the history of our city. Standing in the same spot our ancestors stood two hundred years ago, buying eggs and tomatoes and strawberries just as they did, offers a sense of connection to place that can’t be found in any supermarket.
...though, sadly, buyer beware...I have realized that some of the vendors at the north market are not farmers after all, just guys who bought at the food terminal like any other wholesaler, and if you look at the stickers you will notice it isn't necessarily Ontario or locally produced at all. Once I asked where a vegetable was from and the guy said he didn't know, then I realized he was selling California and Mexico grown produce...I too love the nostalgic vibe of it all, I guess that's why I was so disappointed when I learned of these "imposters"...on the bright side, some of the above mentioned sellers are a real treat to have in our city and make a trip to the market well worth it...
Hey Recyclor,
It's true that there are some vendors at the north market selling imported produce - and this happens much more frequently in the winter months - but it really helps to talk to the vendors, and direct your money to the farmers who are selling local produce.
The St. Lawrence website has a full list of vendors, so it's easy to see who you're buying from - many of the vendors/farmers even have websites. And if you're a market fiend, it's also easy to recognize the names and faces, so it takes a while, but it's easy to figure out who's got local stuff and who's got the imported.
Also there are some things farmers just aren't growing themselves. Wild blueberries, for instance, mostly come from the Native reserve up near Bala and Sudbury, with the farmers acting as middlemen. And the lady selling the strudel is from Nova Scotia, and will *only* make her blueberry strudel with NS blueberries - it's the terroir, don'tchaknow. Technically imported, but you can taste the difference. :)
I think that this is part of that grey area where we can't be black and white about things. There is a reality of the farmer who only has so many fields he can tend and I'm not sure if I have a problem with him buying potatoes, green beans, etc. from another farmer to round/fill out his stand. That same potato farmer is buying strawberrie from him, etc. I think the word "imposter" is a little harsh, unless someone is passing something off as being farmed by him ( take note of the Jay Dines, the farmer in NYC greenmarkets buying meat from a butcher to sell as his own). I think the heart of the idea is buying produce from a farm in Ontario, as opposed to Mexico, Arizona. But if there isn't any of a certain vegetable in Ontario yet, what is a farmer going to do to pay his hydro, gas, so on.
Hi David, I agree with you on the farmer being able to sustain him/herself, I support local growers primarily by buying into a farm-share program seasonally, win lose or draw I feel it is a very important benefit for everyone to keep people farming a variety of locally sustainable crops. My comment is derived from the implication, by this article and what I have believed to be true, and is the general perception that the North Market is a local farmers market, it is sold as being such. I guess I feel like is nothing sacred? When "The oldest, biggest and most raucous; if it grows in Ontario, it’s probably here" market is selling Mexican produce I'm a little dis-heartened. If I wanted that stuff I would still be going to Loblaws...
Addition:
The stand I'm referring to as an "imposter" did not appear to have anything from Ontario and the guy I dealt with knew less about the produce he was selling than I did, that's no farmer...
Okay, then I'm totally with you, I just feel for the farmer whose crop isn't ready yet and can't really afford to lose the revenue, for the most part they just buy up some stock from another farmer, I wouldn't be thrilled either of buying mexican peppers as opposed to something from Ontario. Also, the Ontario stuff just tastes better doesn't it?