Fall in love with Bruce County at local farmers markets

For most of us, there are only a handful of events that will get us out of bed bright and early on a summer morning. Luckily, a good Farmers Market is one of them. Anticipation is the name of the game at the market … What edible treasures have the local farmers picked this week? What’s in season? What will go with the meat you’ve just purchased from the butcher two stalls down?

Food Finds on the Peninsula

While food is certainly the main event at the market, in Bruce County we also celebrate the makers – the original artisans who were making things with their hands long before the Hipsters turned craft into the maker’s movement. Wool-spun knitwear, jewelry, handmade soaps and candles, decorative arts and paintings for your walls. If the gentle beating of the rain on your roof tempts you to roll over and go back to sleep, remember the market goes rain or shine. Our farmers will still be there, with a warm smile and a cup of good coffee, ready to fill your baskets to bursting for the week ahead.

Lion’s Head Farmers Market
In Lion’s Head, Saturday mornings take on a festive air. The farmers market at the beautiful Lion’s Head beach is more than just a market. It’s a weekly event with a fun, festive atmosphere and live music. There are slides and swings to amuse the kids.  Popular with the locals, the Lion’s Head Market is where people catch up with each other and on the local happenings. Bring plenty of eco-bags, because you’ll discover a wide range of local and organic foodstuffs, baked goods and crafts at this market. The produce, baking, meats and cheeses are delicious and plentiful, and you’ll soon find yourself planning an entire week’s worth of meals, even if you aren’t planning to cook!

  • Open Victoria Day to Thanksgiving
  • Saturdays, 9am to 12pm
  • 1 Forbes St, Lion’s Head, ON N0H 1W0

Georgian Bay Country Market on Highway 6
From the moment you park your car, the delicious aroma of their baked goods beckons you inside. This roadside market and bakery is a popular stop for travelers on their way up the Peninsula. Discover something for everyone on your shopping list … fresh fruits and vegetables with local items in season, cinnamon buns, pies, muffins, tarts, breads and other baked goods at the bakery. There’s also a superb meat selection featuring locally made sausages, beef, pork and game meat. When you’ve ticked every item on your list you may want to sneak a cookie out of the bag that you’re hiding from the kids, as you browse the country craft section.

  • Opens May to October
  • Open Sunday-Monday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Windmill Cafe is open Wednesday-Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
  • 267 Highway 6, Wiarton, ON N0H 2T0

Wiarton Farmers’ Market
Local growers and producers gather in the downtown “Parkette” every Friday morning between May and October to provide visitors and residents with the best ingredients for your home-cooked meals. A group of talented artisans join the growers and producers to offer an extra flare to the market. Walk away with fresh local produce, maple syrups, and plants, as well as hand-crafted items, great for warming up your cottage, home, or gift-giving.

  • Opens Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving weekend
  • Fridays, 10am to 2pm
  • 590 Berford Street (in the ‘parkette’), Wiarton, ON
  • *Additional parking found on Louisa Street

Lakeview Vendors Market in Wiarton
Located at the gorgeous Bluewater Park in Wiarton, the Lakeview Vendors Market is a market with a scenic view! Hosted every Wednesday and Friday, there is a wide assortment of items for everyone, including freshly baked goods, jewelry, antiques, candles, clothing and more! Stroll through the local vendors while you watch the boats come and go from the harbour, or bring the whole family and experience fun at the playground while you’re there!

  • 402 William St (Bluewater Park), Wiarton, ON
  • Fridays, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Locally Grown Along the Lakeshore

The lakeshore region of Bruce County has been blessed with great soil for growing and moist, temperate air. The result is that the Lakeshore region produces fruits, vegetables and baking ingredients that are second to none. Generations of cottagers have been getting up early on Saturday mornings for years, arriving punctually to stock up on the fresh, seasonal offerings. Speaking of punctual, is it farmers, farmer’s or farmers’ markets? Here, there is no wrong way to spell it…or to experience it. Each market is unique, but one thing they all are is wonderful. Come discover it for yourself.

Lakeview Vendors Market, Sauble Town Square
The Lakeview Vendors Market at the Sauble Beach Town Square comes alive every Thursday during July and August. The colourful rows of tents pop up in the early hours, ready for the locals and tourist’s arrivals. With over 30 vendors, you’ll find fresh produce, baking, clothes, antiques, secondhand books, honey, candles and handmade soaps are just a few of the unique goods sold at this popular market.

  • Thursdays, 9am to 4pm
  • Sauble Square, 5 Lakeshore Boulevard North, Sauble Beach, ON

Hi-Berry Farm, Port Elgin
Nestled between Southampton and Port Elgin on the west side of Hwy 21, Hi-Berry is hard to miss. Surrounded by the fields that supply the market store with their amazing produce, the big sign proclaims what’s in season for that day. Starting in mid-May a giant asparagus sign appears, signaling the start of a new season, and the parking lot fills up with locals very quickly. That sign is soon joined by signs for strawberries and signs for many of the other fresh fruit and vegetable items picked at Hi-Berry that day. Remember, they only sell what they grow. If you see a sign item for something you crave, resist the temptation to put off a stop until later in the week because whatever it is, it could be gone. Thanks to impeccable planning, the store enjoys an earlier and longer strawberry season than most in Bruce County and their pumpkin selection is huge. Hi-Berry also sells a limited selection of ready-made jams, pies and other goodies – all produced on the farm. Most weekends the parking lot is a mad house, so come early if you’re in a hurry or simply hate crowds.

  • Open 7 days a week, 10 am to 5pm, May to October
  • 5639 Hwy 21 RR 2, Port Elgin, ON

Smith’s Apples and Farm Market, Port Elgin
This seasonal farm market opens beginning on Labour Day. Smith’s grows 10 varieties for apples in their orchards – including our newest favourite, the Honeycrisp apple. You can make a family outing of it and pick your own apples or drop by the store for everything apple-related, such as yummy bakery items like apple pies, tarts, donuts, cakes, crisps, pumpkin pies, three kinds of cookies and flaky biscuits. To keep the kids entertained, Smith’s creates a corn maze, straw fort, and tube slide each year for those who need to burn off a cookie or two. Bring your camera, you’ll want to take pictures of the family posing with the giant pumpkins.

  • Open Labour Day – Halloween
  • Daily 10am to 5pm
  • 470 The River Rd, Port Elgin, ON N0H 2C7

Port Elgin Farmer’s Market Downtown
Every Wednesday from 9am – 2pm this is the place to be in Port Elgin. With local artisans, local produce and yummy eats filling the middle of Port Elgin’s downtown, you can browse and see the variety that Port Elgin offers its market goers. Get a chance to meet the produce growers and artisans who craft a wide variety of products like olive oil, soaps, jewelry, honey, wood products, paintings and more.

  • Every Wednesday from the first Wednesday in June to the last Wednesday in September
  • 9am to 2pm
  • Corner of Bricker and Green Street in Port Elgin

Marine Heritage Market Square
Located in the parking lot of the Southampton coliseum lies the Marine Heritage Market Square, hosted by the Marine Heritage Society. With over 40 talented artisans and vendors, this lively and popular event provides a wide selection of fresh seasonal produce, tasty baked goods, beautiful artisan artwork, and an assortment of unique novelties. With something for everyone, this is a must visit for visitors and residents alike.

  • Every Friday from end of June to beginning of September
  • 9am to 2pm
  • 26 Albert Street Southampton, ON N0H 2L0

Market in the Park, Kincardine
Just because it’s a Monday, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do in Bruce County. Mondays are home to The Market in the Park in Kincardine. Discover how the beautiful, shaded Victoria Park, just off Queen Street, is transformed every Monday by vendors offering a wide variety of market items. Fresh local produce, baking, woodcraft, clothing and accessories, toys…these are just a few of the things you’ll find at the Market in the Park. After the market, slip into town for more great shopping or for lunch on a patio. If you’ve never been to Station Beach, bring a suit and towel and look for the big blue chairs

  • Open Victoria Day to Labour Day
  • Every Monday (except the Monday following the Kincardine Scottish Festival & Highland Games in July)
  • 9am to 3pm
  • 707 Queen St, Kincardine, ON N2Z 1Z9

In Our Rural Farming Areas

For some, a market is a place to hunt and gather sustenance, to reconnect with the food brought forth from the earth. For others, the farmers market is more salt of the earth, a social gathering spot for locals and farmers, one that doubles as a place to buy the week’s food. Somewhere in between the two are those who see the farmers market as an exotic place because they’ve never been to one. Imaging purchasing beets with the soil still on them or carrots with their greenery still attached. Or seeing dairy calves and baby chicks, available to purchase and to raise for those whose hobbies include the 4-H Club. Exotic? For some. For others, it’s a vital part of the farming community. Explore our rural roots for yourself, live and in person at our farmer markets.

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