From Yarmouth to Sydney, Charles has seen it all one farmers’ market at a time. Read about Charles’ journey visiting 45 farmers’ markets (and counting!)

We at Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia are so honoured to publish Charles Thompson’s story about his summer of visiting all of our farmers’ markets. We first learned of Charles’ adventure through a wonderful vendor at the Barrington Farmers’ Market, one of the many many connections he’s made a long the way. We love this story!

Text by Charles Thompson

A Love of Farmers’ Markets

I believe my love of farmers’ markets began when I was attending university in Fredericton. I started going to the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market, which has been listed as one of the ten best farmers’ markets in Canada. My main memory of it was discovering this new food, samosas. It was 2000 and I had never heard of samosas before. We tend to associate samosa with India, but the samosas from Yummy Samosa at the Fredericton market were made by a family from Sudan. I spent much of the last twenty years trying to find samosas as good as those and have yet to find ones that could compare.

When I went to Saint John’s to finish university, I was lucky to live by a farmers market and started to go to it every Saturday. I went to London, UK for three months in 2004 and got to experience some wonderful farmers’ markets that would pop up on the streets of London on the weekends.

When I lived in Halifax I would go to the Halifax Brewery Farmers’ Market and later the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market every weekend I could, and often would pop over the bridge to Alderney Landing Farmers’ Market as well. When I moved back to Truro my Saturday morning tradition became to go to the Truro Farmers’ Market every Saturday, even if I didn’t need anything I would pop down just to walk around. Some Saturdays I would take off to Dieppe/Moncton to do the markets there, Wolfville, Tatamagouche or back to Halifax for the markets.

I think what made me fall in love with farmers’ markets was how many times it introduced me to new foods.

I think what made me fall in love with farmers’ markets was how many times it introduced me to new foods. My first ever Korean food was at the Dieppe market from Mansu, my first Jamaican food, oxtail and curry goat, was at the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market from Stella, my first Polish food was at the Halifax Brewery Farmers’ Market from Janina. Over the years I got to know some of the vendors pretty well, and along with amazing oxtail I would get a big hug from Stella when she was still at the Seaport market. Chatting with Janina even when I wasn’t buying something always brings the biggest smile to my face.

The Farmers’ Market Tour

So this summer in an attempt to push myself to explore Nova Scotia more and challenge my anxiety which often prevents me from going new places, especially places with crowds, I decided I would try to visit all the farmers markets in Nova Scotia. I found the Farmers’ Market of Nova Scotia site which has 45 markets listed. I have made it to all of them except the Fairgrounds Farmers’ Market in Windsor which didn’t happen this year and Middleton Farmers’ Market which happened in the spring before I started this quest but will hopefully be back in the fall so I can go.

Every market is unique and beautiful in its own way.  From Old School Market in Barney’s River which had two vendors the day I went, but extremely friendly and I left with some soap samples and has the added benefit of being at the Barney’s River School House Museum which you can visit.  Or the Kingston Farmers’ Market which is one of the larger markets and by far had the most energy of any of the markets I have been to this year.  From face painting, live music, fitness classes to hog calling contests, it has an almost fair like atmosphere.  I have enjoyed visiting them all, even ones where there wasn’t necessarily anything I wanted, it was great seeing what people in the community were producing and the creativity of the people of Nova Scotia.

Every market is unique and beautiful in its own way.

New Market Discoveries

Even though I have explored food a lot over the years since those early markets introduced me to new cuisines, I still find new things to try.  Channa Masala, a Pakastani chickpea dish which made me like chickpeas from Liyari Waley at the Tatamagouche Farmers’ Market.  Pink oyster mushrooms from a farmer named Douglas at the Merigomish Schoolhouse Farmers’ Market.  Toutons, a Newfoundland fry bread with molasses, at the Merigomish Schoolhouse Farmers’ Market.  Acadian salted green onions at Belliveau Cove.  Langos, a Hungarian fry bread, from Kettle Bites at the Avon Community Farmers’ Market in Windsor.  Korean fried chicken from 175 Chicken at the Halifax Brewery Farmers’ Market.

Also got to enjoy lots of food that I have long been a fan of.  While still not the samosas from Fredericton, I had a delicious samosa at the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market in Sydney from S.S. Indian Food.  Excellent Korean food from Soonih’s Spring Roll & Catering at the New Germany Farmers’ Market, Jamaican food from Caribbean Pot Jamaican Cuisine at the Kingston Farmers’ Market, sushi from Yukiko’s Oishi Sushi at the Annapolis Royal Farmers’ & Traders’ Market, deep fried shrimp and dumplings from Thailand-Food 68 at the New Digby Farmers’ & Artisan Market and an excellent summer squash focaccia this past weekend at the West Dublin Market.   And I can’t not mention my home market in Truro where I get the most delicious cream puffs from Vander Poel’s Pastry and made my mother go get me flowers from Bountiful Brookfield Blooms who this time of year has the most beautiful dahlia bouquets but I am never here on Saturdays to get them.  

And lest people think I only think of food at farmers markets.  I have really come to appreciate some wonderful artwork I have seen at farmers markets.  Shelley Racz and Paintings by Kathy at the North Mountain Farmers’ Market, Sam Moore at the Parrsboro Market, Paintings by Anne at the Greenwood Mall market and others.  I have bought three pieces to help brighten up my apartment and I would have never guessed I would have bought art at a farmers’ market prior to this year.  Also bought a cactus that looked a bit like Mickey Mouse from a vendor at the Clarence Country Market, not something I was expecting to ever buy.  Sadly I’ve been reminded why I don’t keep plants as Mickey is not looking his best.   I have seen beautiful pottery and woodworking I have wanted to purchase and many other items.  The talent here in Nova Scotia is amazing.

Regrets and Unexpected Outcomes

As Frank Sinatra once sang, regrets, I had a few.  At the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market I saw a big line up for a produce vendor.  I looked at his table and it seemed like pretty standard items.  Asked someone in the line what was everyone lining up for and he said the cherry tomatoes.  I have thought of those tomatoes ever since.  I love tomatoes and can’t help but wonder what made his special, and wish I had got in line to try them.  Also saw a painting of a rooster named Arnold by Shelley Racz that I loved at the North Mountain Farmers’ Market which I keep thinking about.

The markets have actually helped me with my anxiety, a wonderful bonus I was not expecting.

Then there are the people I have met at the markets.  I struggle with anxiety and talking to people, especially people I don’t know.  But at the market people are so engaging and I have noticed as the summer has gone on I have become more and more comfortable chatting with people about their items, learning their backstories.  Having a shared interest in the food or art, or just talking to people about my quest to visit all the farmers markets has made talking with them easier.  The markets have actually helped me with my anxiety, a wonderful bonus I was not expecting.

It has not been without its challenges.  At times I have had a hard time justifying the gas money and miles put on my vehicles going to some out of markets far from me, especially some of the smaller ones.  I usually try to combine trips when I can and do other things like visiting lighthouses, waterfalls, beaches, etc while on my trips to the markets.  But it still adds up.  And so many of the markets are on Saturday it is hard to juggle them all.  Some Saturdays I have just wanted to stay home but to fit all the markets in, I have had to push myself to go.  Or have wanted to return to some of my favourite markets, or to the markets I love in New Brunswick or PEI that are on Saturday but haven’t got to do this summer.  

Exploring More Markets

So far, I have discovered 22 other [non-FMNS member] farmers’ markets in Nova Scotia. I am now trying to get to all of those. I have 13 more markets I am hoping to get to before the end of the year which would bring my total to 63 different farmers markets in Nova Scotia in 2023.  Toss in Charlottetown, Dieppe and Moncton farmers markets that I also went to this year and that will give me 66 markets all told.  Not bad.  And what a marvellous excuse to explore. 

I have seen more of Nova Scotia this year than I have in my previous 41 years living here combined.  

I discovered beautiful spots I didn’t know about like Cape Saint Marys because I was going to Belliveau Cove market and Low Point Lighthouse because of the Cape Breton Farmers’ Market in Sydney.  I visited Fortress Louisbourg for the first time because I went to the Louisbourg Market, The Habitation in Port-Royal because I went to the Annapolis Royal Farmers’ & Traders’ Market and Point Prim, Bear River and Balancing Rock because of the New Digby Farmers’ & Artisan Market.

The best part of all of this is how much of our beautiful province I have got to explore.  I had never heard of Isle Madame, Mabou, Clarence, Ross Ferry, Meander, West Dublin, or Sissiboo Landing before setting out to do this.  I had never been to Barrington, Argyle, Louisbourg, Hubbards, Kingston, New Germany or Caledonia before doing this.  I have seen more of Nova Scotia this year than I have in my previous 41 years living here combined.