Local foodies will have one more place to buy Manitoba-grown fruits and vegetables, homemade jam and other goodies this summer, with the planned launch of a new farmers' market in the heart of Osborne Village.
The market is expected to take over the corner of River Avenue and Osborne Street, a stretch of patio space owned by the Gas Station Theatre. The busy transit corner has struggled with a reputation as a drug-trafficking hub, but has also been the focus of cleanup efforts by the Gas Station, which will host the market.
Organizer Kaeley Wiseman, a city planning student at the University of Manitoba, said she was interested in starting a market closer to home than the popular draw in St. Norbert.
"I've heard it's fantastic, but without a car it's really inefficient for me to get there," said Wiseman, who also questioned the environmental friendliness of driving out to buy local goods.
The new Thursday-night market will be Winnipeg's fourth, joining markets in Transcona, the Exchange District and Red River Exhibition Park.
Wiseman said she hopes the event, scheduled to run in July and August to coincide with an outdoor concert series, will help improve the sense of safety on the corner. "They've had real challenges dealing with that outdoor space," she said.
"They do want to encourage some more positive activities, I think, especially in the evening."
The new market is good news for the Farmers' Market Association of Manitoba, a group that formed last year and already has 18 member groups across the province.
"Things are growing... at an extraordinary pace, it would seem," said co-ordinator Sheri Blaylock, who added she's already had half a dozen people contact her this year to ask how to start their own markets.
Last season, Blaylock said she heard from vendors it was the "best year yet." She attributes that to the rising popularity of local eating, international food scares, a desire to support local farmers and environmental concerns -- "people just wanting to limit the amount of mileage, the amount of fossil fuel that's being used."
"There are so many reasons," she said. "Most of it I think has to do with people becoming more aware of where their food is coming from, and what they're putting into their bodies."
lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca
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