I’m so thrilled that outdoor farmers market season is back! There’s so many lovely markets in the Edmonton area, and I’m excited to partner with one to highlight some amazing local vendors for this blog post.
The Callingwood Farmers Market located at 178 Street and 69 Avenue in west Edmonton—one of the city’s longest-running outdoor farmers market—is BACK for its 37th season. The market runs Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a mini market runs Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
This season’s market will feature 120+ vendors selling locally-made food and artisan products. You’ll find long standing vendors like Green Onion Cake Man, El Gringo Foods, Mini Kitchen, Steve & Dan’s Fresh BC Fruit, Gull Valley Greenhouses, and more—plus, a BUNCH of new vendors to show some love to!
New this year: COVID-19 safety protocols including masking up, physical distancing, and an online store where you can pre-purchase items and do curbside pick-up—a seamless and safe way to support local makers and producers. Please shop safely.
To help celebrate the return of The Callingwood Farmers Market, I wanted to highlight a few Must Visit Vendors for your visit (or online shopping and curbside pick-up experience!) These are just a few that I’ve tried or am excited to try based on my preferences, but obviously with 120+ vendors, you’ve got a LOT of great small businesses to choose from here!! Feel free to share your favourites in the comments.
10 Must Visit Vendors at the 2021 Callingwood Farmers Market
Note: this post was deliciously sponsored by the Callingwood Farmers Market! All views, including recommended vendors selected in this post, are my own. I thought this was a perfect partnership because as longtime readers know, I’m a big supporter of all things local and what’s more local than a farmers market!
1. Planet Mushrooms
Do you know the Mushroom Man? Find him at The Callingwood Farmers’ Market selling all sorts of mushrooms, grown right here in Edmonton. Planet Mushrooms sells mushrooms, mushroom soups, mushroom risottos, and something I picked up to try this season—Grow Your Own Mushroom Kits!
Growing mushrooms can be a really complex process but Planet Mushrooms have made it easy (I hope—watch my social media for updates lol). Can’t wait for all the fungi!
2. Southern Smoked Meats
Southern Smoked Meats is a brand new vendor at the market—run by a sweet husband and wife duo who use locally-souced meat, even locally-sourced wood for smoking, combined with award-winning recipes that have won at southern U.S. smoking competitions! We tried their smoked pork loin and cheddar and it was delicious! Super smokey. They also do pulled pork, bacon, chicken, salmon, and sausage—and brisket if you pre-order. Yum!
3. El Dorado Taquitos
Another new vendor to The Callingwood Farmers Market is El Dorado Taquitos. Another family-owned business (you tend to get that at farmers markets!), Josh and Eli say they want to spread the Mexican spirit through Mexican food, especially quick and basically ready to eat food so you don’t need to work too hard after your already long days to have a delicious meal or snack. Choose from beef and cheese, chicken and cheese, veggies and cheese, pulled pork or a combination of taquitos. Pair it with your favourite salsas and dips and pick up churros for dessert! These bake in just 10 minutes! And grab fresh guacamole too!!!
4. Getting into Truffle
A new vendor to the Wednesday market is Getting into Truffle (cutest name!), a small business that started as a home-based chocolate business, debuting with those trendy Hot Chocolate bombs (remember those? lol). This hobby quickly turned into a full-time job, now offering a variety of chocolate treats, cakesicles and confectionaries which you can order online, pick up at select stores or grab at the mini market on Wednesdays!
5. El Santo Food Truck
El Santo Taqueria is a new authentic Mexican food truck serving the Edmonton area that can be found at this season’s outdoor Callingwood Farmers Market. Owner Arturo Ramirez says growing up in Mexico City, “meeting friends at cantinas to eat and catch up, stopping by the street market for a late-night snack of tacos de birria with a buddy, and sitting down with family to enjoy a home cooked meal of enchiladas and mole, all helped to shape me and my love of food.” And now we have the pleasure of eating his food here in Edmonton! Can’t wait to try these tacos—birria, tinga, carnitas, pastor, omg pescado, or their feature tacos. Plus churros! So many choices. I’ve been wanting to try El Santo a few times now but each time I see them out there’s been quite a line-up! Thrilled for their success but I hope I grab them during a quiet moment soon, lol.
6. Col’s Kitchen Delights
I love the pickled asparagus from Col’s Kitchen Delights! I am one happy girl with pickled anything in all my meals, lol. Also pick up pickled cauliflower, beans, garlic, beets, and all sorts of other preserves, jams, jellies, and antipasto from this local maker who uses “old thyme recipes.” Stock your pantry for the season from Col’s Kitchen Delights!
7. Almost Better Than Sex Banana Breads
If you want the moistest (love that word LOL), tastiest banana bread in the city, you’ve got to pick up ‘Almost Better Than Sex’ Banana Breads by Jacqueline, who also makes delicious banana bread bites, caramel sauce, and I’m told really good baked beans (I don’t like baked beans so I can’t vouch for that myself lol). If they ask you if you want a sample of baked beans, say yes! ;) Disclosure: Jacqueline is actually my friend Maddi’s mom! But as always, I wouldn’t rave about this if I didn’t believe it was damn good banana bread. Enjoy!!!
8. Catch of the Week
Catch of the Week has been selling the best fish and seafood at farmers markets like The Callingwood Farmers Market for over 15 years!! All their fish and seafood are flash frozen right on the boat to preserve natural juices and flavours. They also have fresh fish flown in daily. I love making homemade poke with their salmon and tuna (we picked up at the market’s grand opening and I’ve been looking forward to our poke dinner meal all week!) They also have a storefront in northeast Edmonton too. A great source for seafood!
9. Safari Crafts
Safari Crafts isn’t a food vendor but I absolutely love their comfy pants! They may be the most fashionable vendor at the market and I may have one of these comfy pants in every colour by the end of the season… ultimate work from home fashion, quite frankly! You can’t try on clothes during the pandemic but trust me, it’ll look great on you.
10. Loaf Me
Want the most bacon-packed bacon cheddar bread, or how about a jalapeno tex mex, or maybe replica Red Lobster biscuits, or a lemon loaf? These are some of the specialties of Loaf Me, a family-owned bakery with one simple mission: to bake delicious sweet loaves, breads & treats that bring a smile to peoples’ faces! Biting into one of Judi of Loaf Me’s treats are just delightful. And you can’t beat her secret ingredient: Love! ;)
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As mentioned, these are just a TINY sample of all the amazing local makers vending at the 37th season of the outdoor Callingwood Farmers Market.
Not all 120+ vendors are at the market each Sunday or Wednesday, so be sure to check weekly market maps or ask a specific vendor if you’re hoping to catch them there.
Please, if you’re able to, support local this outdoor market season! Plan ahead and shop online with curbside pick-up, or plan which vendors you’re going to see and go straight to their booths and back for pandemic safety.
One of the reasons I love markets is for the people watching and atmosphere which I’d love to get back to in a post-pandemic world, after we’ve successfully kept these businesses going this summer!
The market is also running a contest with my friends at TELUS, giving you a chance to win $500 market bucks to spend, so be sure to enter that!
Linda
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3 Comments
You should really check out Three Little Pigs Family Creations at the Sunday market, they have absolutely amazing bath products that even as a guy, I use all the time. They are all locally made by a mother and daughter. They even make a beard oil that is the best I have ever used.
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