Farmer's Market

The day before yesterday I walked down University Avenue to an office supply business in order to purchase a packet of labels. My walk took me past the Toronto General Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children ('Sick Kids') which has a curved driveway with an entrance to the north at Gerrard Street and the exit to the south at the corner of University Avenue and Elm Street. The arc created by that driveway was lined with booths set up by farmers on which they were displaying the produce from their properties.

A few blocks further along University is City Hall and the enormous Nathan Phillip Square the east side of which is yet another Farmers' Market area. The supermarkets near there have their own display of fruit and vegetables but the 'authentic farm displays' seem to be more popular.
 
New Westminster, B.C. is the hub for those living in neighboring municipalities - including farmers out in the Fraser Valley and south of New West in the municipalities of Langley, Surrey and Delta. Therefore there is a Farmer's Market in New Westminster. The main business street for the city is Columbia and the secondary route down along the north bank of the Fraser River is Front Street. As  one proceeds east along Columbia the street rises and - four blocks later - it is along a bank high above the river. Many many years ago the Framers Market was built along the side of that 'cliff' with public access being down along Front Street.

Much earlier in these blogs I mentioned the eccentric bachelor - Harold Escott - who lived in a shack in the forest and who had permission to pick flowers from Harold Crewdson's flower gardens. These he took to that market every Friday where he earned some pocket money by selling them.

As we did not own an automobile in those days we relied upon the General Store in Maillardville  (and later upon a man who owned a truck which was specially outfitted for the transport of groceries, produce and fresh meat) so we did not patronize the Farmers' Market in New Westminster for our supplies. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I finally got to go to that market.

Since then I have been in others - including the one here in Toronto - but rarely patronize it - the supermarket across the street from here is much handier! Although I am very much attracted to the baked goods and the preserves at these markets which I am too lazy to make myself!