Your Farmers' Market Has More than Veggies!

So Many Good Things at the Burlington Farmers' Market

You may be quite surprised the next time you visit your local farmers' market.  The scene has changed - evolved as it were.

You expect to find carrots at the farmers market.  Not beauties like these heritage varieties that I bought today on the Burlington market, but good local carrots are a consistent staple at most markets.

                                                         
And potatoes, like these coloured lovelies.

 It's expected that there will be onions - though probably not always heirloom whites.

 

I loaded up on all of these, as well as green beans, corn, tomatoes, and some nectarines.  I even got a basket of fat tomatillas.  But what surprised me was the wealth of other good things to eat that was available here, made or grown by individual small producers, from numerous little stalls.

Like home made Ice Cream!

Alexa Fraser makes ice cream from fresh milk and cream and local fruits and herbs.  Her basil ice cream is a hit, something a bit different to perk up a summer meal.
Her ice cream is pricey, $8 for a pint, $4.50 for a cone, but the ice cream is pure and delicious.

And Then There's Fresh Flowers

Millcreek Flower Farm, just outside Ancaster, brings beautiful bouquets of flowers to market each week.  They're irresistable.

I bought a bunch of lavender coloured lizyanthus, or prairie flowers, which look lovely on my kitchen counter.

Need something healthy for the main course?  

Smokeville has smoked rainbow trout that makes a perfect centre dish for a summer meal.  They also do smoked salmon, trout, bacon and salmon pate.

 Other vendors offer small batch organic olive oil, home made bread and pies, and fresh eggs and cheese.

So who needs the supermarket in high summer season when the farmers' market is in full swing?
Not me!

The Burlington Market is held in the back parking lot of Burlington Mall, corner of Guelph Line and Fairview Street on Wed, Fri, and Sat.