Hit the road to find fresh produce

In our rush home from work each evening we often opt for the highways to get home as quickly as possible.

However, in doing so, many people miss the opportunity to pick up fresh local produce that could turn a bland weekday family meal into something a little more special. Small roadside stands can be found throughout the rural communities of Niagara, offering an alternative to the popular farmers markets that can be found throughout the peninsula.

Unsurprisingly, Vineland is one of the parts of Niagara that offers a litany of traditional roadside stands. And you don’t have to go too far off the QEW to find them.

“First Avenue (and Victoria Avenue) offers up an interesting contrast,” says Bill Hodgson, chair of the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance. “On the west side the Kowalics have invested a lot in structures, a bake shop, museum, icecream bar, etc. On the east side Milan Bizjak has a very busy, more traditional roadside stand.”

Many of the stands are run by longtime farming families in the region. Familiar names such as Bizjak, Kowalic, Romagnoli, DeVries and Hildreth offer up a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. It includes lettuces, asparagus, radishes and other early season crops right through to the bounties of August and September with peaches, plums, nectarines, tomatoes, potatoes, apples and more.

Roadside stands are perfect for people who can’t make it to a local farmers market.

For Grimsby’s Stacy Davidson, a visit to roadside stands is a regular occurrence. This week she made a Monday afternoon stop into Hildreth’s in Beamsville, picking up some strawberries, blueberries, corn and peas. She stops in at a stand at least three days a week throughout the summer, and it’s not uncommon for her to make a quick pit stop every day.

“I like to support our local farmers,” she said. “And I find the produce fresher.”

For a partial list of roadside stands and their locations visit niagaragreenbelt.com/listings/ 86-roadside-stands.

Or for the more enterprising type, take an afternoon drive throughout the rural parts of the region and see what you stumble upon.

LUKE EDWARDS METROLAND Roadside farm stands are a popular alternative for shoppers who want fresh local produce but aren’t able to make it out to one of Niagara’s farmers markets.