Northern farmers markets booming following pandemic food uncertainty

Despite the inflationary pinch and rising prices at grocery stores, shoppers in northern Ontario are still opting to spend slightly more money to buy locally-grown food.

And following two years of interruptions in the food supply chain, local farmer's markets are seeing a big increase in attendance by health conscious shoppers, along with an increased demand for vendor space from regional growers. 

Applications for a booth at Sudbury's farmer's market nearly quadrupled in the past year, organizers for the twice-weekly event say.

Erin Rowe, chair of Sudbury's Farmer's Market, said the group had to turn away more than 100 vendors vying for 50 spaces at their Thursday afternoon market, and 60 spaces at the Saturday morning market. 

"That was a very pleasant surprise," Rowe said. "But it also posed a few challenges with finding the appropriate space to fit."

The market organizers also whittled down the list of vendors according to a set of criteria that prioritizes home-grown products. For example, they're not allowing vendors who resell goods they did not make or grow themselves.

That allows the group to focus on helping promote farms and operators that specialize in locally-grown food.

"I would say consumer habits are really being more focused on local products," Rowe said. " I think with the pandemic, with some empty shelves at the grocery store and some panic buying, it kind of shone a spotlight on what's available locally."

"That trend has been growing," she said. "Before the pandemic, it was kind of a slow growth. And then during the pandemic it was a boom. Now people are a lot more interested in what they can get locally. " 

Both the demand from vendors and the demand for a new type of consumer has really driven the energy behind the market's growth, Rowe said.

"I know a couple farmers markets in Ontario closed because they weren't able to keep running with the amount of vendors that they had," she said.

"Where for us, even the February market was, the opposite. We doubled and then we quadrupled in our numbers. So it's wonderful. We're very, very happy."

This year's market will also feature a change in venue. The popular Thursday afternoon market now shifts from the York Street parking lot to Science North. 

A 100-year tradition in the Soo

In Sault Ste. Marie, Susan Wilding, who has been involved with the long-running Algoma Farmer's Market for 30 years, said there will be a slight increase in the number of vendors now that pandemic restrictions have lifted, but the market will keep its small, family-oriented atmosphere.

"What I find is that our market tends to have this sort of family effect," she said. "Which is why I call it the heritage market." 

The market itself, which has been running for 100 years, takes place at the Roberta Bondar Pavillion at the Sault Ste. Marie waterfront. It features produce, meats, honey and fish grown, raised, picked or produced in the Algoma district. 

And like Wilding said, a feature of the Soo market is its tight-knit, familiar atmosphere. One of its vendors, Jeff Marshall, has been selling plants from his garden for 40 years, she said. 

"And my husband's family, they've been going to the market for almost a hundred years," she said. "There's been an uncle, cousin, a grandfather or grandmother at the market for 100 years" 

But it's the interactions with the customers that make the market special, she said.

"Our philosophy, too, was that we're not only there to sell, but we're also there to educate the public about food and where the food comes from," Wildling said. "We definitely welcome questions, whether you're a new gardener trying something, or you just want to know about recipes, we like that interaction between ourselves and our customers."

Mitch Deschatelets, who is chair of North Bay Farmer's Market, said their twice-weekly event has also seen an uptick in attendance.

"We've seen a big increase in traffic and even an increase in the size of sales," he said. "People are buying, then freezing [food.]"

In addition to the tasty produce, Deschatelets said stocking up on fresh-grown items adds a sense of security for consumers.

"Seeing how it happens with trucking issues, border closures and all sorts of things, people realize that you can rely on local," he said.

But what draws people to the North Bay farmer's market is probably the atmosphere, he said, which includes live music by area musicians.

"It feels like an event," he said. "You're doing your shopping at the same time because there's quite a variety of stuff, from bakers to farmers, all sorts of artisans."

"But you're not just shopping, you're there because it's an outing. And I think that's what makes it so special. People go out because it's not the same feeling as if you would go to a grocery store, where you buy what you need and you get out."

"People actually spend time at the market while they're there," he said. "Because it's a way to pass a few hours with people. But yeah, spending time there is very easy."