The growing season is upon us and that means the Goldstream Farmers Market will soon be in full swing again.
“It starts this Saturday and runs for 24 weeks until Oct. 21 … It doesn’t matter if it’s windy or raining,” said Tony Obersteller, president of the Goldstream Farmers Market Association.
While Obersteller joked Mother Nature wasn’t very kind to them last year, he has big hopes for Saturday’s forecast and the upcoming market season. “We’re hoping we’ll get a good turn out … It always amazes me how many people that come that didn’t know we were there,” he said.
And the market’s location won’t be changing any time soon. The ink recently dried on a new contract with the City of Langford that solidifies the market’s home in Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of Goldstream Avenue and Veterans Parkway for the next three years.
“They’re behind us 100 per cent,” Obersteller said of the City.
The contract also allows for up to two vendors to sell wine, cider or mead at each market. Last year was the first where the sale of alcohol was permitted on a trial basis.
While it was allowed at other farmers markets, the sale of alcohol in a park was prohibited by the City and the Market Association needed to get special permission.
With 10 more farms recently added to the rotation – bringing the total vendor list to approximately 50 – Obersteller noted a number of the favourite regulars will be joined by some fresh faces. And since the market is a member of the B.C. Farmers Market Association, all vendors are juried before being permitted to attend the local market.
“They either have to make it, bake it, or grow it and we stick fast to that rule,” he added. Roughly 20 of those vendors have committed to being at the market every Saturday, while the rest will be rotated or at the market on a drop-in basis.
Besides farm fresh produce, free range eggs and two vendors with gluten-free baking, Obersteller added “we have lots of artisan vendors … and all kinds of stuff for kids and adults.” Live entertainment will also be on the docket every week featuring a number of local musicians from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Since this Saturday is the first market of the season, there will be plenty of free cake to munch on while you shop and Littler Farms will be providing free bedding plants to celebrate Mother’s Day.
For more information search Goldstream Farmers Market on Facebook.
