There is no better way to exercise the proposal to buy locally than by visiting the local Farmers’ Market, said the market manager Patricia Thompson.
Since the Buy Local theme is dominate this week, it was seen as good timing to talk about the Estevan market and it’s rich history that dates back to the mid 1970s when it was located in the downtown business section.
Tradition has dictated that the market be held every Saturday morning beginning the first Saturday in May.
In the past few years, the outdoor market has been located on the east side of the Estevan Shoppers Mall during the spring and summer seasons and it then has a four-to-six week run indoors just prior to Christmas either in the Shoppers Mall main concourse or in Exhibition Hall on the exhibition grounds.
When it comes to food products, Thompson said the market obviously provides shoppers with fresh goods on a weekly basis with their Saturday morning and early afternoon market and, with the locally grown and delivered processes, they reduce the environmental footprint since the food stuffs and the craft items don’t have to be trucked in from hundreds and even thousands of miles away.
Another benefit Thompson states, is the fact, “that if you come to the market, you know the people you’re buying from, or if you don’t, you’ll get to know them.” As a result, she said, when a consumer is dealing face-to-face with the producer, the likelihood of shoddy merchandise or suspect freshness of the product, isn’t a factor.
“There is also the advantage of having items made-to-order for you, whether it be crafts or food. You ask for something in particular and they’ll try to supply it the next week and the variety is good,” said Thompson. A good example of that is the spring time supply of bedding plants where vendors make special efforts to meet specific requests from local gardeners.
Goods that are canned, bottled or boxed in containers are done by the producers. So, again, the consumer knows what they’re getting and only deal with the producer, eliminating the middleman or broker.
“A few vendors have a number of value-added items. They might have a raw product and then some finished products from that … whether it’s saskatoons, raspberries, pickles, asparagus or what have you,” Thompson added.
The manager said it is market policy to have all food vendors take the food safety program. That isn’t required in provincial regulations, but the Estevan market makes it a condition of participation. “We have constant communication with public health officials on purpose and our market has passed every inspection they’ve carried out and if we have a question or concern, they help us out because they know we care about health and safety, so it’s a good working relationship,” she said.
All products, whether they be food or crafts, bear proper labels and are packaged appropriately. They fill the household needs, or can be purchased as gifts.
Because many of the products aren’t pre-packaged, consumers can take as many or as few of particular items as they desire.
“And the prices are generally pretty good. The market for many is actually a labour of love. I expect that when it comes to crafts, the hours that are spent on making something are pretty well donated,” she said with a laugh, having been a crafter herself.
“With the trend now being toward natural and organic, that’s right in our favour. The only negative I can see about the farmers’ market is the weather,” she said.
Somegtimes that becomes a coin toss issue for marketers who might look at forecast that calls for highwinds and rain … or even snow, and back off from attendance on occasion, but generally speaking, they are a hearty, healthy and happy group who genuinely practice and preach the buy local theme.
