It's good to know where your food comes from. Vancouver's farmer markets are a great opportunity to shop local and spend some time out - and the best thing is that some of them aren't just for summer! If you can't find a reason to get out of your bed on a cold winter Saturday, just have a look at the following events!
Riley Park Farmers Market
Where: 4601 Ontario Street, Vancouver BC
When: From November to April, every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm
Situated in the parking lot of Nat Bailey stadium, this market is the perfect place if you want to shop seasonal fruits, vegetables, canned jams, prickles, hand made products, meat or seafood. The Riley Park Farmers Market is probably not the biggest market you are going to visit, but it's all about high quality food from local sellers. Here, you can find the best BC farmers selling all kind of ingredients you won't find in grocery stores and vendors who are real foodies. Another great thing about this market is the variety of food trucks or bakeries. Bring your own fabric bag to carry all the goodies you will buy here and feel free to come with your pet friend!
Hastings Park Farmer Market
Where: Hastings Skatepark, Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC
When: From November to May, every Sunday from 10am to 2pm
You can find the Hastings Park Farmer Market between the Forum and the Agrodome. As this event is on Sundays, Vancouverites can shop fresh and local ingredients all weekend visiting Nat Bailey's market on Saturdays and then dropping by Hastings Park the next day. And you don't have to worry about parking here, there's plenty of space!
Come for fresh fish, meat, dairy or wine and enjoy a coffee or snack from one of the food trucks. The market features 30+ vendors each week and some of them are exclusively available only at Hastings Park. The location of the market makes it a great place to spend your day - you can shop local food and visit the Italian Gardens and Trout Pond at the same time. A must-stop if you are coming from North Vancouver or Burnaby!
Meet The Photographer: Ricardo Vacas
Ricardo Vacas
Ricardo Vacas, owner of the firm Kerp Photography, always showed intense interest in many forms of creative arts. His professional photography career started in his home country, Spain, where he was the official photographer of several music bands, models and clothing brands. He decided to move to Wellington, New Zealand in 2012, knowing his real interest was fashion photography more than any other field. Currently living in Vancouver, Canada, he now combines his fashion, editorial and commercial photography projects with regular trips to Europe and USA.
DTRVDT
Love enjoying quality food on Vancouver’s markets – and doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer, it’s always worth to wake up early ;) They have really all you can imagine!
You can grow food in the local community gardens too. That might be the cheaper option to eat local, especially in Vancouver.