Saturday Market

Penticton has a thriving farmers’ market that operates in the downtown every Saturday from mid-April until the end of October.

One of the flower stalls.

M and I try do our weekly fruit and vegetable shopping there.

The market has an average of 8000 shoppers every Saturday.

We go early to avoid the crowds and we bring along our list and the shopping bags. Since all the produce is seasonal, we have to be ready to make adjustments.

Part of today’s haul!

Today we found beefsteak tomatoes, white peaches (on the lower left in the photo – the best peaches ever!), patty pan squash (in the bags), and honeycrisp apples. We also found mushrooms, basil, yellow beans, plums, and of course, sunflowers!

Autumn is the season of deliciousness!

29 thoughts on “Saturday Market”

  1. Farmers’ Markets are the best. We have one in South Edmonton that runs indoors Friday to Sunday year round. Since our first visit over 18 months ago, we go every Friday to get fruits and veg. So superior to grocery stores. Happy Monday Lynette. Allan

  2. Yum! I love farmers markets, Lynette. And beefsteak tomatoes are my favorite type of tomato. Also, I’ve never tried a white peach before – based on your comment, I’m going to see if I can still get one!

    1. I find that yellow peaches can be quite acidic and white peaches aren’t. The ones grown here tend to be sort of squat in shape, but otherwise look like regular peaches until you cut them open. I hope you find some – they’re so delicious!

  3. Girl! 8,000 people? That is quite the market. My small town has two FMs. In a six county radius, there are SO many organic and/or permaculture farms. They are small but, powerful.

    We are getting the same apples & squash, plus red & green okra and, cherokee purple tomatoes. Late season watermelons are good, too. Peaches are a little tougher to find in this area. They have to be brought in from the deeper south and our apples come from our mountains. Some things do not grow well in the Piedmont.

    1. Yup, 8000 people. This market has been operating for many years and is quite famous. It’s very popular with tourists. The Okanagan Valley is known particularly for its tree fruits and wine production: plums, apricots, pears, apples, peaches and of course, the wine and table grapes. This valley is very temperate and lots of plants and trees grow here that are a surprise to many people.

      It’s so great to be able to buy locally grown produce. It tastes so much better and I always like to support the local economy. Cheers.

  4. These farmer’s markets seem to be the thing nowadays. I accidently came across one on my way home from a doctor’s appointment one day. I stopped to check it. We have much of my hub’s garden veggies, so I bought olive oil and found a place that sells the authentic Italian eats my grandma used to make. I also bought honey and teas, which I use a lot.

    I’ll bet it’s nice weather for that market there now. Enjoy those eats.

    1. This one has been around for many years, long before they became a popular thing. This is a very agricultural area that supplies a great deal of the tree fruit for the country, so the Penticton market has been a part of that.

      There are at least two stalls selling excellent Italian sauces, but we have started making our own now. Lovely that you have your own garden veggies! The weather has been really good but today lots of smoke from a huge cross-border wildfire to the south of us. It’s supposed to rain over the next couple days; I really hope so!

      1. I’ll have a post tomorrow about our veggies and sauce! The Italian vendor at the market here was selling lots of breads that I had when I as a kid. Focaccia, taralli, and frizzelles. I was shocked to learn that their family owned the Italian store my grandma used to take me to when I was a kid and I wrote about in my memoir. Lots a carbs for my family. 🤷‍♀️
        Anyway, I hope it rains by you for those fires. I know what that’s like. Sometimes the winds can shift and the smell can be overpowering. Here’s keeping thoughts for rain. 🤞

        1. I’ll be looking forward to that! My background is French but I swear I was Italian in another life because I adore Italian food of all kinds – northern, southern, doesn’t matter. When I visit Italy, I’ll put on 2 kilos in a week (about 4 lbs). So, so good. 😁 There are a couple of terrific delis here selling good Italian (German and French too). I love going – that’s my kind of shopping!

          I’m hoping for rain too. The forecast is calling for it, so I hope it happens.

  5. Sounds like you have a great farmer’s market in Penticton. We have one in our town as well, which is about a 10 minute walk from where we live. I typically get my produce from there as well. Everything just tastes so much better when it’s fresh. Those peaches look amazing! Love the sunflowers!

    1. Yes, it’s a really good one. Isn’t great to just walk over and get such good produce? We’re about 5 mins away. Ours closes during the winter months, so it’s back to the grocery store produce. Cheers.

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