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A visit to a local farmer’s market is always a fun
event -- shopping outside for fresh produce and locally made
goods. Muskoka has a number of farmer’s markets open
throughout the summer season, with one happening somewhere in
Muskoka almost every day of the week.
Monday is the Bala
Farmer’s Market, situated in the picturesque village of Bala
on Lake Muskoka.
The Bala Farmers Market is held
Mondays 9-2 from the last Monday in June (June 30th) to
Labour Day!
We are located at by the falls in the Precambrian Shield lot.
“It’s not as large as
some,” says Market Coordinator Jasmine Keith, “but we have
a little bit of everything – we have all the bases
covered.”
The list includes produce
of all kinds, a meat vendor, homemade jams and jellies, fresh
pasta, plus Muskoka Chairs and other furniture, garden
ornaments, and other arts and crafts by local artisans. This
year the market will again have a different, surprise guest
vendor each week.
Wednesday is the
Gravenhurst Farmer’s Market, from 9am to 2pm, May 21 to
October 8 this year. This award winning market – voted the
best seasonal farmer’s market in Ontario by Foodland Ontario
and Farmer’s Market Ontario -- enjoys a superb venue at the
Sagamo Park, right next to where the Segwun and the new
Wenonah II steamships dock. This proximity to the water allows
customers to come by boat, too. Pony rides, a petting zoo and
a clown, plus the usual produce and goods, are all part of the
fun.
Each Thursday the
Huntsville Farmer’s Market sets up shop in the Canadian Tire
parking lot in Huntsville. Also open 9am to 2pm, starting May
22 to October 30, 2003, the Huntsville Market offers a wide
variety of goods.
The meat section includes
beef, pork and pork sausage, chicken, lamb and trout. A
Buffalo meat vendor, and some organic greenhouse growers with
their produce – tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and more –
are also there each week. Locally produced honey and maple
syrup are also available, as are perennials, bedding plants,
and annuals. By July there is a complete line of vegetables
available, plus local berries – strawberries, raspberries
and wild blueberries, as well as other fruit – peaches,
apricots, and plums. Baked goods, and one-of-a-kind Muskoka
crafts, such as wooden toys, beautiful children’s clothing,
woven lawn chairs and jewelry, round out the array of
offerings.
“We also have Native
crafts this year,” says Market Coordinator Nancy Nix.
Fridays the Rosseau
Farmer’s Market is open at the fairgrounds on Highway 632 in
the village of Rosseau. Only two years old, it includes many
local, non-profit groups and agencies. “We wanted it to have
a community based focus,” explains Lynnis Aroyea, one of the
principles, adding “This year we’ll also have a different,
local guest artist each week.” Their season runs from June
20 to August 29th this year.
On Saturdays the
Bracebridge Farmer’s Market can be found at their new
location, occupying the Memorial Park on Manitoba Street in
Bracebridge. Open 8 to 1 from the Victoria Day weekend to
Thanksgiving, it boasts all the usual goods in season, as well
as organically grown vegetable plants for the garden, local
Maple Syrup, and Milford Bay smoked trout products.
Pick a day, and then head
out to the appropriate town to take in the sights, sounds and
smells of the farmer’s markets in Muskoka.
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