Farmers’ Market heads indoors as temperature turns

• A variety of local fresh foods and goods
• Great way to connect with the community

Vendors peddling homemade pastries and jewelry, fresh vegetables and cheese lined a hall at the Parkinson Recreation Centre.

It's the cue that the weekly Farmers' Market has moved to a different stage now that summer is behind us.

Among the merchants is Claudio, the Italian Meat Master, offering his Kelowna made, family-owned sausages and salami.

“I think a farmer’s market like this one ... it’s something very important. It’s about real food, it’s about meeting who is making, growing, and raising the food,” Claudio said.

“That’s so important nowadays. And you can actually taste something unique that you usually can’t find in stores.”

He said the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market helps give exposure to small businesses and helps them find new customers.

Claudio said farmers’ markets in Italy and Europe are quite common and he appreciates having the opportunity to participate in one in Canada.

For Brante Farrell with Westbank Harvest, the market has been one of the “greatest ways to connect with the community.”

Westbank Harvest has operated for about 15 years. They sell family fruit that’s been grown in the valley for over a hundred years.

“It’s a time when we can actually talk to people face to face and really have those human interactions which otherwise we don’t have space for,” he told Kelowna10.

“It’s just fantastic to talk about real human subjects, health, and happiness, and the wealth of living in an area, but also the work that goes into it.”

Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market Coordinator Lilly Brogan said the market will have several different vendors all winter, and are going to try to keep as many fruits and vegetables throughout.

The Winter Market runs Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.