The 11th Annual Meaford Farmers Market officially opened on Friday for its annual 18 week ‘run’ at the Rotary Pavilion.
This year the Market opened with another record number of vendors selling an even wider assortment of food and crafts.
Marion Boyd is president of the board of directors of Meaford Farmers Market.
Boyd said this year’s Market features at least 40 vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables, pastries, preserves and honey as well as beef, pork and fresh fish.
“For those customers looking for something more exotic,” says Boyd, “there’s home-made focaccia bread, Korean sushi as well as Kalamata olives and olive oil.
The Kalamata olives come all the way from Greece where vendor Nikolas Rallis grows them on his farm and brings them to Meaford to sell.
In past years, Rallis didn’t take part in the Market until September.
“This year,” says Boyd, “Rallis is in Canada and attending the show every Friday until Thanksgiving.”
The one other vendor from outside the Grey-Bruce area comes from Alliston. But the customers come from all over southern Ontario.
“When the Meaford Farmers Market began in May 2006, Boyd said, we had 17 vendors selling their goods. This year we have about 40 vendors on our list. And I expect a few more will show up to break yet another record.”
Boyd says she’s also expecting an even bigger crowd of potential customers to arrive each week Boyd believes there are many factors to explain the growing popularity of farmers markets over the decades.
“Our customers like buying food that is fresh and grown on local farms. I also believe farmers’ markets create their own ‘community atmosphere with customers chatting with vendors and everyone having a good time.”