After a long cold winter and long wet spring, summer is here and the local harvest is coming in! The Comox Valley Farmers’ Market Association is working hard to get local product to the people with three weekly markets running through the summer months. Saturdays at the Exhibition Grounds from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. until after Thanksgiving, Sundays in Cumberland from 10-1 and Wednesdays you’ll find them in the former Thrifty’s parking lot in downtown Courtenay, corner of England Avenue and Sixth Street, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Each market offers its own character, vendor selection and ambiance.
“Saturday’s market is a destination, bring the family to listen to music while you shop,” said executive director Vickey Brown. “The Sunday market is a smaller, more intimate and casual market on the grass in Village Square; come have a coffee at the Moose, a donut from the bakery, do your shop and wander the charming shops of Dunsmuir Avenue, or get your fill after a forest run or ride. The Wednesday market is multi-functional with its convenient downtown location, grab your groceries and then pick up whatever else you need in the fabulous shops of downtown Courtenay. This year the Art Gallery is also joining in most weeks to offer ‘pop up art’ for kids while you shop.”
The current heat wave is an additional burden on already taxed farmers, blurring the distant memory of -10C days and epic snowfall that Brown says had a huge impact on the local farming community. “Crushed greenhouses, lost winter storage crops, collapsed hoop houses and late planting due to cold wet fields are just some of the consequences for our farmers,” she said. “You may see fewer farmers and less product at the markets this year because of the winter we had. So this year is a good time to get out and support your local farmers.”