Our Saturday farmers' market started a couple of weeks ago. Last year some friends convinced me to sign up for a table and I enjoyed getting out and meeting the other vendors and chatting with the customers. A handful of stall holders doggedly showed up each week, even though the market was not always well attended.
This year something changed. I think it was a combination of the renewed vigor that islanders have brought to growing vegetables (influenced, no doubt, by the times and the encouragement of our Food Program), and some hard work on the part of the market organization.
When I showed up for the opening market I noticed a whole new energy. We had 15 or 20 stalls selling fresh flowers, vegetables, island-roasted coffee, organic chai, homemade perogies, and plenty of decent crafts. There's no lack of talent on this island. One of the vendors was a founder of a well-known bakery in Vancouver, another had a popular cafe on the island for a couple of years. Those of us selling food sold out by 1 PM.
I had hoped to sell a dozen or so jams each market but I ended up selling everything I had (over 4 dozen). The bread and granola sold out in under an hour.