Ran out of produce last Saturday and realized the Ottawa Farmers’ Market would be hitting Lansdowne Sunday. Went out for dinner and the next day, popped into Whole Foods to mentally comparison shop and gloat about the deals I’d surely find at Aberdeen Pavilion from 9 a.m until 3 p.m. Each vendor grows, makes and bakes everything they’re selling from within 100 kms of the capital.
THE LIST Kale, celery, bell peppers, field cucumbers, berries.
IMPULSE BUYS Cherries, momos (they’re Nepalese dumplings from this Ottawa pop-up) and iced chai.
SAMPLES Pickles, kimchi.
BEST DEAL Three humongous cukes for $3.
RANDOM MOMENTS Asking the wrong vendor about some beautifully hued beans; joy in seeing Pascale’s Ice Cream being sold (I’d met her back in 2011 on assignment with a mission to taste ice cream across the city).
WHAT I LEARNED Ground cherries come wrapped like little gifts (thanks to Sun/Citizen reporter Aedan Helmer for clarifying!); nearly each vendor sells kale for $3.
WHY I’LL RETURN There’s plenty of options, it’s a fun place for people-watching outdoors and indoors at the Horticulture Building, and it feels good buying food from farmers versus big box supermarkets.
REMINDER Bring a reusable water bottle to fill up.
Kelly Roche - Storyteller 