Downtown market opens
Downtown residents appreciate being able to buy directly from farmers at market
When Kristine Fisher is looking for rare herbs, she heads downtown.
“The market is a place where you can get original things ... that’s why you come here,” Fisher said, holding a pineapple sage plant in hand.
The Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market opened Wednesday in the Louis Street Parking Lot off King Street. It runs every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. until the end of October.
Fisher has shopped at the producers-only downtown market since it opened 20 years ago.
“I live downtown and I love the market,” Fisher said.
The market ran on Charlotte Street for 12 years before moving to the parking lot eight years ago.
Fisher shops at the market every week, picking up snacks or veggies, or both.
“It tastes different when they’ve just been pulled out of the ground or haven’t travelled for thousands of kilometres ... it’s way better than the grocery store,” Fisher said of the produce.
Dyan Mallory has also been a downtown market goer since its inception.
She’s at the market at least three times a month and doesn’t always walk away with just food.
“I’m a resident in this downtown core, so I always come to this market, because there’s always variety,” Mallory said.
She’s purchased jewellery in the past and on Wednesday, she bought a little something for the birds in her neighbourhood. Mallory got a piece of environmentally inspired art from Petrichor that provides birds with nesting material.
“It’s always fun at this market, you can find something that catches your interest,” Mallory said.
Meanwhile, Shannon Marshall grabbed her daughter Josephine Mackie, 1, a cookie to keep her busy while she shopped.
“She was mad until she got a cookie – now she’s happy,” Marshall said.
Josephine’s wagon doubled as a cart Wednesday as Marshall packed her purchases onto the extra seat.
While on maternity leave, Marshall has made an effort to trek over to the market from her home in East City as often as she could – and she always makes sure to buy a vegan pizza and a baked good.
“I love it ... it gives us somewhere to go, something to do and I find this to be a nice treat – healthy food, but it’s a treat for me,” Marshall said.