Get to know your local growers
For the past eight years, the Westbank Farmers’ Market has been offering the community the chance to get to know local growers and food producers.
The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday from the July 1 until mid-September in the parking lot of the Westridge Shopping Centre, at the corner or Main Street and Elliot Road.
Drop by on a Saturday morning and meet friends, neighbours and the community of farmers, bakers and artisans.
The market has some 60 registered vendors with between 24 and 35 setting up each Saturday, said Collette De Schutter, vendor co-ordinator for the market.
“There are a lot of locally produced fruit and vegetables, the baking is terriÀc, the Mennonite sausages are excellent and there are
lots of different artisans,” said De Schutter, whose husband makes gem stone trees to sell at the market.
The Westbank Farmers’ Market also offers free weekly entertainment and special events such as the cutest dog contest Aug. 12 and Kids’ Day Aug. 19.
Along with produce and baking, people can Ànd preserves, soaps, baby items, tea, jewelry and even clothing at the market.
Yurko Raulick and his wife Francis have had a stall at the Westbank Farmers Market since it began in 2010.
The senior couple make and sell Ukrainian Borscht along with preserves such as hot peaches, beet pickles and peach salsa. As well, they bake and sell pies and legendary cinnamon buns that that bring customers back to Yurko’s stall every week.
Yurko loves talking to people at the market and seeing them happy. His birthday is around the corner. “When you get to be 90, you know you’re having fun,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
Saturday morning was the first time Isabelle Perrier and Jade Shamen of Taneda Farm have been vendors at the market, but it won’t be their last.
They just started farming the land and thought they would try the farmers’ market because of its proximity to their farm.
Shamen joked they could just roll their potatoes to market.
The market also gives them a chance to meet local people while they sell their garlic, rhubarb and chard.
Saturday was Tea Lady Maureen Turner’s Àrst time at the market this season.
Turner had operated the Tea Lady store on Main Street, but health problems forced her to close. Now she operates her business from home and at farmers’ markets. She comes to the Westbank Farmers’ Market for the atmosphere, fresh products, friendly people and the chance to share her passion for tea with others.
While the market attracts regulars, it also brings in Àrst timers such as Anne Segert and her daughter Lauren Finkel, who recently moved to West Kelowna.
The pair bought some fresh apricots, cherries and tea and planned to look at some salsa and honey. They loved the great selection at the market. “Everything is here,” said Segert. The last Westbank Farmers” Market for 2017 season goes Sept. 16. New vendors welcome.
For more information, go online to westbankfarmersmarket.com.