St. Lawrence Farmer's Market

By Braeden

Every Saturday from 5am to 5pm at the St. Lawrence Farmers Market, you can find local food at an affordable price (we’re talking pocket change affordable). While the daily “South Market” is a bit on the pricey side for weekly groceries, you can find baskets of local carrots, turnips, potatoes, and apples for $1 to $2 at the North/Farmer’s Market. Not only can you buy high quality, local ingredients, but you’re also helping to support the local agricultural communities that surround Toronto.

Buying our food directly from the growers is also a less stressful way to buy groceries. Hitting the grocery store at rush hour, searching through mazes of aisles, and waiting in lines only adds unnecessary stress to our already busy lives. For one week, try integrating the chore of buying groceries with spending time with a friend. At the end of a stressful week, the market is a refreshingly friendly atmosphere and a testament to the many virtues of urban living. At the market, the guarded social codes that we abide by during the week are left at the door. Strangers smile and greet one another, a sense of community we only experience in small towns. Living in this city, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the anonymity and unfriendly atmosphere but engaging in activities like going to the Farmer’s Market reveals the richness of community that lies between the skyscrapers.

For over 200 years now, growers and producers have hauled the fruits of their labour into the heart of downtown Toronto to sell at the St. Lawrence Farmer’s Market. The vendors are not only friendly, but a wonderful resource. They can introduce you to new types of food and even make suggestions for how to cook their products. Every week you can find cheap deals on foods that have traveled far less distance than what's in the supermarket.

The St. Lawrence Farmer’s Market provides affordable options. For EVERY one. The added bonuses: Buying local seasonal food will nourish our bodies. Supporting our local farmers will nourish our city.