One of our local gems is the Brampton Farmer’s Market which runs every Saturday (and now Thursdays in Mount Pleasant) from June to late October. The market gives us city dwellers access to some of the best farm-fresh fruits, veggies and seasonal items Ontario has to offer. But it’s more than just an opportunity to buy groceries–you’ll find everything from pastries and clothing to live entertainment and street eats. The best part though? The plethora of innovative products and offerings. Here’s a list of vendors you definitely want to check out at the market!
1. Soup Girl
Soup Girl is every busy person and soup lover’s dream! Soup Girl has pulled together a variety of healthy herbs spices and other ingredients into delicious soup medleys. The aim is to create healthy, natural and delicious meals in a jar. All of her soups are vegetarian-friendly.
2. The Pie Guyz
Did somebody say pies? Now we’re talking! Pie Guyz has a lineup of Scottish savoury pies sure to elicit foodgasms from even the most adamant pie hater! They’ve got some spectacular flavours including tandoori, vindaloo, creamy mushroom and chicken (One of our personal favourites) and butter chicken too! Their pie crust is always perfectly flaky and delicious. And with a wide variety of fillings, there’s sure to be a little something something for just about everyone to take home. Go and get your pie on at the market!
3. Queen Gypsy
The Gypsy has always had something freshly baked to serve up to their customers and they’re bringing it full force to the market every week! Every Saturday they have delicious turnovers, croissants, cinnamon buns and the like, fresh from the oven and ready to take home. It won’t hurt your wallet either! Almost all of their pastries are 3 for $5. Good for the wallet, but not so good for the New Years Resolution. But who’s paying attention to those in July anyhow?
4. Jamie’s Cracked Corn
Here’s a snack you’ll want to much 24/7. But not to worry, it’s gluten-free so you don’t have to be too torn up about it! Jamie’s Cracked Corn is not only a staple at the market, but also at every Garden Square movie night, and for good reason! Their kettle corn is nothing short of delicious! It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s every popcorn lover’s dream. We declare it the best kettle corn in the city; movie popcorn can’t even compete! And that’s the way the cookie crumbles…or the popcorn pops in this case.
5. Blend Fresh
Blend Fresh is a Brampton-based smoothie and juice company serving up freshly, made, healthy smoothies straight from their blender to your tummy! If you aren’t a smoothie lover, they’ll convert you! Blend Fresh makes smoothies fresh to order for customers at the market and also offers home delivery of their products. Yes, you heard that right, they’ll deliver smoothies straight to your door too! We recommend the Pina Kale-ada for your sipping pleasure.
6. Pangea Pasta
Fancy some hand-crafted pasta? Pangea Pasta has a lineup of fresh, handmade pastas you thought you could only dream of. You won’t be able to settle for the grocery store stuff once you’ve had a taste of their lineup. It isn’t just your run-of-the-mill pasta, they’ve got mushroom-thyme as well as basil-balsamic linguine, a variety of raviolis and other pastas. All freshly made, and you can usually taste-test them before you decide which to take home!
7. Ms. V’s Preserves
Mrs V makes real fruit & vegetable preserves, using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. No additives, synthetic ingredients needed; it’s all natural and all yummy! They’ve got an array of jellies, chutnies and pickles that feature amazing flavour profiles. If you’re looking to take your culinary skills to the next level, their jellies and chutines are great for adding extra kick and texture to any dish. A couple of our personal favourites include the red pepper jelly and the mango chutney.
8. Albion Hills Freshly Baked Bread
The Albion Hills Farm guys come every week to the market with baskets upon baskets of freshly baked breads and savoury goodies. They’ve got everything from your regular flax loaf to cranberry scones and pizza buns–which are by more delicious than the store-bought ones. They’ve got loaves, scones, pretzels and other specialty breads; a mean foccacia too! A couple of our new favourites are their feta spinach focaccia and jalapeno cheese pretzels. Sounds delicious doesn’t it? You can expect something new and inventive every week which makes it a treat!
