Gettin’ Fresh in the West End

Regular readers know that things around here usually slow down over the weekend, which is a great chance for us to seek out new stories, recharge the batteries, and engage in ritualistic behaviours.  Sleeping in late, Sunday Brunch, trips to the Wilton Cheese Factory, as well as the Farmer’s and Antique Market are all in heavy rotation on any given weekend.  Regarding the latter, those of you living in the west, east or elsewhere on the fringe have to either drive downtown, or head out into the countryside in order to purchase locally farmed fruits and vegetables.  But that’s all about to change for our friends in the west end.

Organizers of the Farmer’s and Antique Market that is held behind City Hall coordinated an additional Farmer’s Market at the Kingston District Shrine Club near the corner of Princess and Collins Bay Road.  They were able to attract a good mix of regular downtown vendors, who split their operations between the two locations.  In addition, some new vendors who usually flock to smaller centres on the outskirts of Kingston, also made the trip in to sell everything from jam, to meat and soap.  Organizers know that the word will spread, and that more and more west enders will soon be taking advantage.  In case your worried, the minds behind this new venture have also assured the downtown crowd that the west end market will not cut down on the number of vendors who sell their wares on Market Square.

Both the west end and downtown Markets are great ways to stick to that 100 Mile Diet everyone’s talking about, while they also support the local economy.  My mom approves, but I think that’s because she wants me to eat more vegetables.  Do the hot peppers and onions in my block of havarti count as eating more veggies?  In any case, if you haven’t been out to either public market in a while, be sure to schedule a trip soon – the weather is just right.  Thanks to Nathalie Maynor for today’s image of fresh and delicious produce.