For 15 years, local food and craft producers have been working hard to bring healthy, local food options and locally made products to the community.
Local products help reduce environmentally costly and expensive fossil fuel dependence and provide high-nutrition food with less reliance on preservatives and processing - not to mention they are also delicious.
It will be the market’s 15th year of offering local produce, meat, eggs, crafts, furniture, baking, jams, jellies, tasty treats, bedding plants, and more for sale each week in their downtown location across from the Lakeshore Pharmacy and Canada Post Office.
FSJ Market Association president, Lynn Jackson, is looking forward to this year’s market season. “The farmer’s market represents just a small example of the agricultural production that occurs in our area” she says. “We have the ability to grow a large portion of our own food and these vendors provide an example of what is possible.
“However, without the support of the community, the farmer’s market cannot sustain itself, she said. “So think locally and support your local farmers and artisans.”
Last year was a successful market season, despite the miserable weather and poor growing season.
The local market has a strong core of nine regular vendors, with visiting vendors coming from out of town (including Vanderhoof, Cluculz Lake, Fraser Lake, and the Okanagan).
This year the Fort St. James Youth Council will also be hosting a table and other groups such as the Hospital Auxiliary will be making occasional appearances.
Last year the market averaged 250 visitors each week, even on those really crappy weather days.
A unique aspect of the FSJ market is a nutrition coupon program, which ran for a third successful year in 2011.
This is a true Fort St. James community initiative with a number of local partners working together to operate a program that has become a model for other communities around the province.
The program combines access to local produce with weekly cooking and skill-building classes to encourage healthier eating and support local food purchasing.
Last year the manager of the Fort St James market, Kandace Kerr, produced a toolkit for the BC Association of Farmers’ Markets to help other communities in B.C. and beyond develop their own similar nutrition coupon programs.
An exciting development this year is the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako’s branding and signage program for regional farmers’ markets.
This year each farmers’ market within the regional district will have highway signage indicating the market day and time.
In essence this will create a “circle tour” for visitors and residents wanting to visit all of the Farmers’ Markets within the Bulkley-Nechako area.
The Fort St. James market will again be in the same downtown location as last year, thanks to two local individuals, Art Julian and Russ Johnson, who donate use of their land for the market to set up on during market season.
The District of Fort St James continues to be very supportive of the market, this year assisting vendors with training and economic development assistance.
The heart of the market continues to be the vendors who come each week, brimming with produce and products for sale, and the customers who support them. Farmers’ markets provide a common ground for people to gather, share, and celebrate the bounty and uniqueness of the north and its culture.
This year vendors are looking forward to sunshine each and every week, a long and productive growing season, and lots of returning and new customers. So watch for the white tents on Stuart Drive starting on Friday May 11, and come out and support the 15th year of the Fort St James Farmers’ Market.