Brilliant Choices
Each and every one of our vendors is a hard-working artisan and we urge you to spend a few minutes getting to know them all.  It's a life-project but we know from our own experience that it's a pleasant and worthwhile effort. 
Not only does each vendor work at perfecting the items they Make, Bake or Grow for you, they're constantly trying new things and inventing variations on old ones, keeping their tables full of new treasures.  There's so much to see!
Since we're there all the time anyhow, we'll try to help you out by highlighting new items, new vendors and changes at the Market.  Check back with us regularly for the latest updates.

The Market is now open twice a week!
Visit us at the CLE Dove Building Saturdays from 8am till 1pm and
Wednesdays from 3:30pm till 7pm. 

Sign up for the Newsletter and enjoy September's Grower Highlights
Every year the quality and quantity of our seasonal growers increases.  This year our Market Friends are finding anywhere from 20 to 25 producers beneath their awnings on Market Day, offering pretty much anything you can grow outdoor and under greenhouses in our tricky and, lately, unpredictable climate.  Among the large farm and small market-garden vendors bringing a range of expected offerings like legumes, root vegetables, squash and other healthy choices are some growers who focus on specialty items.  This year we're pleased to host a young fellow with amazing hot and sweet peppers, a garlic connoisseur, a man with amazing salad greens and other dedicated green-thumbers who offer the best of the best right alongside the good advice you might need to try cooking unfamiliar goodies.  Want to know more?  Visit our Newsletter page and subscribe to get our upcoming September Newsletter and some inside info on the colourful produce and producers at the Market.

H&P Jams & Jellies do Pickled Garlic!!
Maybe we're alone in feeling a certain excitement over the discovery of this product but as it was enthusiastically recommended to us by neighbouring vendor Scott Poluyko of Sandy Acres Farms we suspect others will feel the same way.  If you're a fan of salty pickled treats the chances are very good that you will.  Henry Wielobob of the talented H&P duo pickles whole cloves of fresh garlic in a brine of vinegar, sugar and salt, and the resulting treat is still crunchy and garlicky-hot without the obnoxious eye-stinging pong of the fresh stuff.  We've been fighting over it right out of the jar in our house but if it lasts long enough we'll unhesitatingly put it into a pickle tray, slice it onto pizza or plop it into a dry martini or a Caesar as a garnish.  Thanks Scott for pointing this one out - the men in our house have never been so easy to locate by smell.

Stinging Nettles Make Delicious and Healthy Iced Tea
Tea-maker and botanist Lee-Ann Chevrette of Boreal Forest Teas has recently expanded her line of teas to include a nettle infusion she calls "Happy Camper."  Served hot or cold with a little local honey (check out regular Market vendor Paradis Apiaries) and sliced lemon, nettle tea has a soothing, refreshing minty taste and none of the sting you might be wondering about.  Clean-complected, shiny-haired Lee-Ann is a firm believer and regular consumer of her own products, and tells us those nasty nettles that elicit surprised yells of pain from unwary hikers are incredibly good for us.   Among its numerous other health benefits nettle is highly nutritious, containing Vitamins A and C and various minerals including calcium and iron.  It strengthens bone marrow, flushes toxins and has been used as an antihistamine and a hemostatic.  (Check out Lee-Ann's abstract here for more on the health benefits.)  Nettles grow wild all around Thunder Bay and are available in almost limitless quantity, making this a truly sustainable beverage which can be made for pennies a glass.  Visit Lee-Ann today for a free sample of iced Happy Camper and try it for yourself.

SAF is Selling Bacon.
"Bacon makes it better," it's been said by many gourmet and home cooks.  "Make bacon better," say Scott and Peter of Sandy Acres Farm, who added pork to their meat line-up last year and whose chorizo sausage pleasantly lit up our sinuses this spring.  And they do.  Our first experience with SAF's locally-smoked pork bacon was little short of a revelatory, life-changing experience of melt-in-mouth, real-woodsmoke deliciousness.  If your bacon experience has been limited to the grocery-store industrially-produced variety, you must try this.  Yes, it's a little more expensive than the stuff you buy on sale.  And yes, it's worth it.  Grocery-store bacon will never be the same. 
Peter and Scott hand some of the credit to the fine work of European Meats, where their bacon is smoked and sliced, but agree that the smoking treatment isn't all there is to it.  Finicky farmers, they feed their pigs a strict diet of grains - their own top-secret mix - and nothing else.  This, they suggest, is likely the biggest factor, as it detracts nothing from the wonderful natural flavour of the pork itself.
Sandy Acres Farm intends to have bacon available as long as supplies last.  We'll race you to their counter.

Goldilocks Wasn't Always Right
Fritz Lehmberg of Early Snows Pottery demonstrates that cute and small isn't always as satisfying as large and in-charge, especially when it comes to a fistful of morning coffee.  His latest batch of coffee mugs is built for Poppa Bears and Lady Bears with serious caffeine cravings.  Satisfying large handles let you wrap fingers right around, steadying morning-shaky grips and letting you get 360 degree control over your coffee intake.  A variety of decorative touches give restless fingers beautiful texture to explore, and Fritz' trademark glaze makes these cups dishwasher, microwave and even oven-safe.  **Ed's note: this year I bought myself a Big Mug for my birthday.  Yes, they make nice gifts for other people too, but sometimes you have to please yourself! 

Autumn-inspired Sparkle
Clever-fingered and sharp-eyed Jolene of The Beads Go On has begun bringing new pieces to Market for the fall.  Among them you'll find decorative glass, shells and pieces like this gorgeous Swarovski drop, available in many colours.  Brides planning autumn weddings will be happy to make Jolene's acquaintance; from a swatch, a dress or even a photo she can outfit the entire wedding party in matching jewelry for a very reasonable investment.  Necklaces, bracelets and earrings are all available made to the same or varying patterns; Jolene's hand-beading method lets the bride-to-be customize her ladies' sparkle and give them personal, thoughtful gifts as a reminder of her special day.

Make it a Good Morning - or Afternoon, for that matter...
Most loyal Market shoppers are well aware of the presence of a local legend on the premises and arrive with freshly-washed thermal mugs in hand every Market day to get their Joe on before they stroll.  We recommend that all newcomers pay a visit to Kerr and Eric, our resident humourists, for an upbeat greeting and a taste of Thunder Bay's locally-roasted coffee.  In addition to freshly-brewed varieties Great Northwest Coffee Company offers cappuccinos, lattes and will likely be bringing back the iced lattes that became so popular last year.  Looking to brew your own?  Ask Kerr or Eric about their bagged beans - ground or whole - to help make your decision on which variety will suit you best.

Basically Bread
Mike from Westfort's Best is a traditionalist.  You've seen the spoon standing up in his sauce-pot;  you know how he feels about doing things right.  Now try his ciabatta loaves:  the simplest yeast-leavened bread you can make, made just the right way after years of care and practice.  Mike makes his small ciabatta loaves with nothing more than a yeast sponge starter, flour, salt and water.  Hand-formed, these simple loaves have a lovely rustic look and a nice, light, even crumb with a flaky crust.  We enjoyed ours before dinner with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping; it was also great sliced and spread with butter.