– by Bob Thompson –
The Saanich Fair marks the transition to our fall season. The harvest season is a favourite for many market devotees who enjoy the fresh fall air under clear skies and a warm equinox sun. It also gets us thinking about comfort foods and the coming traditional feasts. As pleasant as this is, late September brings an increasing chance of wet weather, so the Market has an arrangement with the Saanich Fair to move indoors on Saturday mornings to the RCMP Barn if nasty weather doesn’t meet our autumnal expectations. This offers visitors a comfortable shopping environment as well as providing protection for vendors who need to keep their products out of the rain.
One of the most popular additions to the market this summer has been our local Peninsula wineries, and we’ll continue to host two wineries each week throughout the market season. Did you know that your palate is at its best in the morning? “Many tasting rooms open at 10 a.m. because the earlier in the day, the fresher your palate is. If you taste later in the day, keep in mind that everything you have eaten and drunk affects your palate” (www.thisismyhappiness.com). So, sampling local wines at our morning market is a good thing!
Our final market of the season is Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend, October 11th. Out Stealing Mules will stop by to entertain us, and you might want to order a Thanksgiving turkey at the market from Alderley Grange Farm. Yellow Point Cranberries will be at our final two markets so you can localize your holiday feast with fresh, Island-grown cranberries – and a bottle or two of Peninsula wine, of course.
When we see you again next spring, it will be the start of the 25th remarkable season for our resilient market which began at the old Saanichton Fairground in 1991. Thanks to all of you who continue to enjoy a country morning among friends and support our wonderful market and vendors.
The Peninsula Country Market runs every Saturday morning at the Saanich Fairground from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., from June through Thanksgiving. For the latest news about what’s happening at the Market, visit www.peninsulacountrymarket.ca.
