I just got back from another wonderful trip to my local farmer’s market in Halifax. I highly suggest going it if you have not whether you are visiting Nova Scotia, have visitors staying with you in Halifax or just plain out want some delicious seasonal produce, local wines and cheeses, fresh flowers and plants for your garden or pick up a gift for someone special. It’s one of the oldest continually operated Farmer’s Markets in the country being established in 1750! For a list of vendors and operational hours please see the Seaport Farmer’s market website : http://halifaxfarmersmarket.com .
Whether you are in Halifax or not, Farmer’s Markets are a great places to support your community and everyone benefits. I’m sure you have read more than enough reasons to buy local so I’m not making this post about why you should. I really just want to draw attention to some wonderful Nova Scotian products I saw this morning! Also as a side note the Sea Port space is a fairly recent change and if you are a local you know it used to reside solely in Historic Properties which houses the Alexander Keith’s brewery and bar the Red Stag. Please make and effort to go to both market locations as there are so many great vendors at both in relative close proximity.
Seaport view from second level, taken summer of 2010
At the Seaport Location Steve, Ryan and I grabbed a JavaBlend coffee at one of the many food stalls. We stopped at FoxHill Cheese, which is opened most days of the week. I picked up some Garlic Chive Gouda and cheese curds (I’ll probably be making poutine later). Steve picked up some Cranberry Cheddar and Ryan some smoked Gouda. They also sell yogurt, milk, and ice cream as well as many other cheeses. I then picked up some lovely tomatoes from one of the produce vendors which I can’t wait to make a toasted tomato sandwich.
From there we did a lot of browsing, we saw amazing flowers and a lot of vendors with starter plants and seeds and soil for your garden. The Grainery Food Co-op as always has a stall which volunteer organization devoted to selling affordable organic grain products. I didn’t end up picking up anything today from them but they are usually on my list. Steve was looking for a gift and found an adorable fabric wall hanging of a quilted mouse by Thread of Mine. We also found some things for Gambit from Earth Elements Soap and Tailwagrrrs. Earth Elements Soap makes a wide variety of natural soap and soap products, they also make laundry detergent, lip balms and assorted creams. Everything smells delicious but I was super happy to find dog shampoo as Gambit has sensitive skin and Hair of the Dog smells amazing, even people can use it! The representative from Tailwagrrrs was super sweet, I ended up buying a Turkey Liver treat for Gambit which he promptly sniffed out of my bag and gobbled on site. Tailwagrrs is actually a Wellness Center for dogs located on the Bedford Hwy.
Before leaving I also had to pick up some honey. Cosman and Whidden Honey Ltd also sells tons of other beeswax items. Although you can get it in the local grocery stores here I still prefer buying it directly from them, it’s the same cost but they get a bigger piece of the pie.
There is so much to see at both markets but if you are looking for wine Seaport location is the place to go, there is at least four local Wineries represented there. All of these wineries offer something truely unique and most of the vendors are happy to offer samples of anything of interest. I would encourage you to check out Wines of Nova Scotia for more information on the product each Winery carries.
Outside the Seaport market you can find my favorite local brewery Garrision. They have extremely informative staff and you can try samples. They have a wide range of beers and souvenirs for the tourist in the group. However if you are more central or in the North End check our Propeller brewery on top of the craft beer they sell they also carry some of my favorite sodas. Try their Ginger Beer mixed with tequila and some lime juice or just dark rum.
After all that we walked up to Historic Properties. It’s sad, it’s really not as busy as it used to be but there are many tried and true vendors still active there who you cannot find at the new market so you need to stop by. As well as some cheap beautiful produce I picked up some beautiful hand made bread by a local family as well as filled up on my soy needs for the week from Acadiana Soy. I usually also buy free range eggs from the Acadiana as well they also sell soy nuts and homemade snacks and dips. There was tonnes of things for gardeners around including organic seeds, and seedlings. Different vendors were selling planters, soils and local and exotic flowers, Steve even picked up a parrot plant for $5!
I hope this post inspires you to go to the market, especially if you have never been or not been in a while. If you have a favorite vendor or product from the Halifax Farmer’s Market leave a comment to let people know! I hope you all have a good weekend, happy munching!
V-Spot 