looks exciting

I'm sure glad the downtown farmers market is here because the Nechako farmers market is a real disappointment, only one person selling produce, not many farmers at that farmers market...

Produce? Scarce at the PG Farmers market any time of year. When compared to Kamloops, it is obviouse we live in the North.

I wonder whether some of the "farmers" could get together to jointly rent or own a geenhouse to either extend the season or else even grow veggies year around. Heat it with biofuel.

Better still make it part of the UNBC biofuel project and use the energy for diverse applications such as agriculture.

Each "farmer" is given a part of the greenhouse and can pay a part of the gross sales income to pay for the space rental.

Other than that, it will be a long wait for global warming to provide a longer season. We won't have local produce for some decades, if ever.

You know, I think a good farmers market, will do good in Prince George. Not this fair stuff that happens every Saturday.

A Market place, July, August, and September. Where local producers have a place to sell their goods. I would shop there, They have local potatoes, carrots, celery, and stuff that is grown in BC. I think if we really are going to be concerned about our health and carbon foot print, we have to put our money where our mouth is.

I checked out the Nechako market and saw eggs for $4.00 and eggs for $5.00. I sell mine for $3.50 a dozen and thought that I was expensive.

The Farmers Market has been here for years. During the summer it sells Carrott, Onions, :Potatoes, Beets, Cabbage, Radishes, Fiddleheads, Baking Goods, Meat, Eggs, Ostrich Eggs, Raspberries, Cranberry Sauce, and all kinds of jams, Tomates, Fresh Bread and Baking etc; etc;etc;.

If you people live in Prince George and are not aware of what this Farmers Market sells during the year, then you must be bed ridden, or one big couch potatoe.

To suggest we cant grow produce in this area is absolutely ludicrous. The only people who cant grow produce are those that are to lazy to get off their asses and plant a garden.

I grow apples in my back yard every year, along with gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries, onions, tomatoes, beets, cabbage, peas, corn, brussel sprouts, radishes.

People have been growing produce and vegetable here for 100 years.

I agree with Gus that we could do more if we had a huge area like the one across from the Airport that grows seedlings. We could rent the space and get a longer growing season. If we did it properly we coud probably make a profit at it and create some employment.

I doubt if the idea would fly because it has merit, and ideas with merit are foriegn to this town. We are much better off putting in a $10 Million dollar upgrade to River Road, which no one asked for and which is a **dead loss** proposition.

Have a nice day.

Palopu, your just a meanie, calling everyone a couch potatoe. If I am gonna be labelled a couch potatoe, I want to be a double fried in duck fat french fries.

I think to suggest that we can grow produce around here is also ludicrous. Ludicrous, because it implies we can grow the large variety that we have become used to, that we can grow it or store much of it year around, and that we can grow it in the volumes we consume or a significant percentage of that.

Just because we can grow carrots in the summer, strawberries, etc. does not mean we can grow peaches, grapes, etc.

It also does not mean we can grow it year around.

There are parts of the south and the island that can grow enough to export out of the immediate vicinity.

Even the Island cannot support itself from what is grown on the island. I know someone who grows vegetables in the Victoria area. We had this conversation less than a year ago. He said 3 to 5% of the produce is presently grown on the island and consumed there. I do not know how much the lower mainland grows.

Can we be self sufficient without hot houses here? Yes. But we would have to change our eating habits considerably.

Today I bought some fiddleheads at the market. Mine are out in the yard, but I grow them for the ferns. Asparagus should be out soon as well I would think.

There were complaints about someone else at the market selling fiddleheads that were not from here.

This community appears to finally be supporting a "green grocer" here. Old Town Farm Market has been here for 2 years now. They are about as "local" as one can get.

I am sure if someone local came along to provide them with a substantial supply of locally grown vegetables, they would be smiling from ear to ear.

So, we have an outlet that has managed to draw a crowd. When will the local suppliers with volume follow?

http://oldtownfarmmarket.com/weekly.htm

Speaking of potatoes. Where are the potatoe farms around here? We could be self sufficient.

PGDriver...the Nechako Public Market is not a farmer's market. It's a public market for people to sell just about anything as long as it's legal. It's a flee market, vendor fair, garage sale, farmer's market and anything else we want to sell, including clothing, jewelry, crafts, furniture, antiques, homemade jams, jellies, baking, etc. There is also a concession with all kinds of food & snacks. If you live in an apartment & want to have a garage sale, you can rent a spot and sell it there. Today there was a really good mix and more to come. It's going to be year round every Saturday & Sunday. I was there all day and sold a lot. It was very well attended and busy all day long. It can't be compared to the downtown farmer's market. It's totally different.

Gus, I agree with your comment. We are spoiled consumers, where we think we have the right to have strawberries and tomatoes year round. We can have it because we are willing to pay $3 a pound for someone to truck it in 3000 miles. is it right. Nope, imagine the carbon foot print it leaves.

I remember, canning fruits and having a root cellar. I know a lot of you think I am talking out of my butt, but I feel fortunate to have done that, knowing that it is not that far away in our history. Heck, I'm not even a half century old.

I love canned pears, I can eat a pint of it every day, if my supplies allow me. I wish that I can get down to the Okanongan this summer and smuggle in a few boxes of pears home. It sure would be nice.

Heck,we grew up on a hobby farm, wood stove and outhouse. We use to grow strawberries, raspberries, aspregrass,rubarb, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, turnips, you name it. it ended up in the root cellar, canned or frozen. We ate our way out of the freezer through the snow season.

I walk through the store in January and thinking to myself, we live in a pretty spoiled envelope. I wonder when the bubble is going to burst.

Not to worry about those pesky "carbon footprints". Ya can pay more carbon taxes come July and then you can rest assured the footprints have been neutralized. Simple, eh?

we can buy our way out of it.

Used to be some pretty good potatoe farms in the Mud River. Vissar Vegetables is still there but dont know for how long.

Used to be big farms south on 97 but they are gone now.

The whole area below the graveyard where they now have trailer courts used to be vegetable farms, and they had huge root cellars to store the vegetables. There was also a slaughter house there.

Years ago North Central BC was for all intents and purposes self sufficient, with a few exceptions, ie; salt, sugar, flour, whole wheat etc; these of course could be brought in and stored. It wasnt that long ago that they closed down the diarylands in the Interior and now bring the milk from Vancouver. We used to have a com;pany called Roses Ice Cream, that supplied Ice Cream and Orange Crush throughout the Interior.

Now it all comes in by truck from California, or Potatoes from Alberta, Washington and Idaho. Corn and berries from Vancouver etc;etc;.

Yep, we chose to make the small farmers to go broke, so I guess we can not complain too much.

Unless, we change this. So if we are going to change, lets do it right.

Organic gardens, grown by the power of chicken shit. yeah, I'd support them. no chemicals just pure nature. I'd pay an extra 25% to have freshness. In fact, If there is a farmer out there, that is willing to take orders, I'll prepay to get them go.

so do they sell meat at the farmers market ??? i wouldnt mind getting some fresh lamb or beef.
Veggies are good but local fresh meat would be good too...a whole meal!!

I bought a couple of heads of lettuce at a farmer's market a couple years ago and took them home only to find they were completely infested with bugs. I guess that's the downside of not using pesticides.

The best way to find out what is available at the Prince George Farmer's Market is to take the time to attend it. The market runs every Saturday from early morning to mid afternoon.

This year starts the beginning of a year round indoor market at 3rd Avenue and George St. in addition to the seasonal outdoor stalls outside the Court House.

The first Saturday of weekly operation was on Saturday May 01, 2010.

Here is a link to the market website.
http://www.farmersmarketpg.ca

The downtown Farmers' Market is a gem. Now with the indoor location, it is even more inviting. Although small, it is vibrant and welcoming.The May 1st opening was hindered by the cold wet weather, but hey this is May in Prince George!
The Nechako Market is NOT comparable..it is a mish mash of things that will appeal to a completely different clientele from the downtown Farmers' Market.
There are many in Prince George who have never been to the Farmers' Market and know nothing about it...Tell your friends and neighbours to get real and get out to the MARKET!

To Boudicca - True Celt, I used to get a lamb every year when I lived in PG. There is quite a lot of lamb farming in the area and a good choice. I usually got mine through friends whose daughter was with 4H. It was slaughtered and cut up at the blue painted slaughterhouse by Art Knapps.

Yes there is also bison available at the Farmer's Market and also you can place orders for turkeys.

The farmers market is a great place to spend cash.
With the HST,cash transactions are going to be very popular!