This Saturday (Sept. 11), the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. There will be lots of activity, including a luncheon featuring foods from the market, free hourly draws, and a pictorial history display.
The market opens at 9 a.m., so don’t be late. Not only can you catch anniversary events, fresh Ontario peaches have arrived. They are free-stone and absolutely delicious!
Ontario Macs are on hand for applesauce and pie-makers. Two newer apple varieties from British Columbia—Honeycrisp and Sunrise—can be tried by the adventurous.
The Honeycrisp apple is exceptionally crisp with a juicy texture, and it has an excellent storage life. The Sunrise, meanwhile, is great for eating out-of-hand as it is also crisp and juicy.
Both varieties are recommended for sauces, pies, baking, and eating.
Also look for Kelsae onions at the market this Saturday. These large, sweet, and mild onions have exceptional culinary qualities—great raw or cooked.
The Kelsae onion, developed in the mid-1950s, is an award-winning exhibition-quality variety with a world record weight of nearly 16 pounds.
These beautiful onions are great winter keepers, so try some!
Local corn is now available at the farmers’ market, as are potatoes, carrots, onions, and beans. This is the time of year gardens are exploding so stock up the freezer now.
The Clover Valley Farmers’ Market was started back in 1984 by a group of imaginative, enterprising district residents who foresaw the advantages of a market for local products.
Little did they know it would become the community gathering place that it did!
The A&W parking lot was the first location farmers’ market participants gathered in to sells their products. Then after a couple of seasons, the group moved to the yard beside the Couchiching Community Complex, just to the east of Fort Frances.
In 1989, the Town of Fort Frances, Ken Mosher of Canadian Tire, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food assisted the market vendors in establishing the present location of the farmers’ market and its facilities.
Other changes have occurred at the market. Insulation and heat were added—much to visitor and vendor delight. Walls were painted, and displays were improved.
District residents have been great to support the efforts of the farmers’ market vendors. So come to the market this Saturday for great fresh products—and stay for the fun celebrating their 20th anniversary.
The winner of last Saturday’s free draw, donated by Seven Bends Honey, was Joanne Gosselin. If you missed Bulk Honey Day, the Neilsons will be back Oct. 16 with more.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
