Sundays at the Market

Take your time – relax, talk to the vendors, lick an ice cream cone 

I’m a Saturday regular at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, and I love it. I run from one vendor to the next, making sure that I have enough cherry tomatoes to last the week, lettuce for my budgies, a lentil pie, macarons (an essential item!) and fresh vegetables. It’s busy; it’s crowded, and I don’t linger.

There’s a completely different feel to the Market on Sundays. Sure, there are less vendors, but it’s also less crowded. I had a good chat with Chris at Floating Gardens (be sure to pick up a colourful bag of edible flowers), and I met two new vendors.

Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens 
Adi and Jennifer, Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens, are urban farmers with six plots around Saskatoon. “We’re following the “Wally model” [SPIN Farming],” Adi says. When I stopped by at the beginning of June, they had lots of greens, and I was particularly intrigued by their mixed bags.

I picked up the stir fry mix (rapini, kale, tatsoi) and really appreciated being able to sample a variety of different greens without having to buy individual bags of each. They also had a salad mix with lettuce and Japanese greens.

Soon they’ll have beets, peas, specialty potatoes, okra, and eggplants (green, white, egg-shaped, tiny Japanese ones). Their greens include spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potato greens, Asian greens, and Jamaican sorrel.

Conan the Vegetarian
Andrew and Anne both work full time in the city (Marc is also a partner), but they have six acres of land outside of Saskatoon. When I visited with them last month, they were selling worms and vermicomposting kits for a friend as none of their vegetables were ready yet. They’re excited about growing sugarsnap watermelons, and they hope to revitalize an old orchard, so keep your eye out for apple chips. Pickles are another possibility.

Conan the Vegetarian has partnered with We Are Many and are providing seeds and supplies for one section of the Saskatoon Food Bank’s Garden Patch on 2nd Avenue. They also plan to donate extra produce to the Food Bank.

Ice Cream & Gelato
Now, all this talking is thirsty work, so you’ll be ready to take a break, listen to the buskers and enjoy an ice-cold treat. Northern Vigor Berries offers individual portions (one, two or five scoops) of their seabuckthorn gelato, while Prairie Sun Orchard has a full range of delicious ice creams. My favourite flavour combines chocolate fudge and sour cherries.

sweetsugarbean – Chef’s Tasting, June 24 

There’s an extra treat in store at the Market this coming Sunday. Renée Kohlman, aka sweetsugarbean, will be serving up samples of fabulous food from 11:30-2:30. With fresh ingredients from Floating Gardens, Hestia Organics, Living Soil Farms, Northern Vigor Berries, Rusty’s Wild Rice, Wally’s Urban Market Garden, and the Little Market Store, she’s planning a mouth-watering menu.


There will be Seabuckthorn Berry and Basil Cream Scones, Beluga Lentil Salad with Sorrel and Asparagus, Tzatziki Potato Salad, Strawberry, Ricotta and Pea Shoot Crostini, and Wild Rice Pudding with Brown Sugar Crust.

Canada Day
The Saskatoon Farmers’ Market will be open on Canada Day, July 1. Weather permitting, there will be a bouncy castle for the kids in Market Square and Canada Day activities from 11-2.

Wednesday and Sunday markets are from 10 am to 3 pm.

Comments

Andrea said…
I need to try that gelato you talk about. I'm also excited for Sweetsugarbean, maybe I have time to hit the market before I have my radio show. Actually, I should have lunch at the market, it's just around the corner of the radio station.

Thanks for the updates. Much appreciated. Maybe I'll see you Saturday at the market.
June 22, 2012 at 10:18 AM
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