The Bowen Agricultural Alliance (BAA) Farmers’ Market 2022 season is starting on May 14, 10 am to noon at Bowen Island Community School and continues weekly until Oct. 8.
The first sale will have an abundance of garden starts and seedlings, as well as the usual vendors selling locally grown produce, flowers, and a variety of items made, baked and grown on Bowen, and manure… and more! The Farmers’ Market seeks to connect the community to local farmers, gardeners and artisans; to support food sustainability and to promote information about how to grow food on Bowen Island. We appreciate your patience and your patronage as we continue to grow our grassroots community-based market and to support farmers, gardeners and entrepreneurs of all ages.
The Bowen Island Farmers’ Market is now in its 11th year of running at Bowen Island Community School (BICS). Before the market moved to BICS, the market was a one-day annual event held down on the lawn in front of the public library and started around 2006 (thanks to Elle’s vision, and the formation of a small group of dedicated locals who founded BAA). From a one-day, annual event called Bowfeast that encouraged everyone to buy and grow and cook with local ingredients, to becoming a weekly Farmers’ Market that runs from mid-May to mid-October, the market has grown and changed over the years, but is still one of my favourite places to feel part of the community and to support local vendors.
It feels good to support local, and to support a wide array of vendors and products, some of which can only be found at the Farmers’ Markets. We have new vendors this year, and an array of special guest vendors, so expect the unexpected on a weekly basis as well as regulars!
Make it part of your weekly shopping to come to the Farmers’ market and take home a bouquet of flowers grown on Bowen, or a bag of fresh salad greens from Home Farm, or garlic and giant squash from Clemencia, Moira’s succulent plants, Riley’s Ciders, Freda’s knitwear, Meadowbrook’s bacon and sausages, chai tea sold by Ellarose, a Moe Makes pie, vegan and specialty products, a coffee and croissant from Artisan Eats, seedlings and veggie starts, macrame plant holders, photography and cookies by local youth, local produce from Grafton Commons, Moonmilk mix from Foxglove, and so many amazing jams! Missy Foundation, Old Tree, Barking Raven, Van Berkel Farms, local teas and crafts and more.
We also love that the market supports newer food initiatives such as youth-entrepreneurs, organic growing practices, locally grown, made and baked items, Community Shares Agriculture initiatives, regenerative and sustainable growing practices, and sometimes even BOB shows up with honey (Beekeepers of Bowen).
The Bowen Agricultural Alliance is a small, dedicated group of volunteers which has kept the Farmers’ Market running and supporting local farmers, gardeners and artisans for over a decade. Interested vendors and buskers please contact market lead Sarah Haxby at [email protected] and put MARKET in the title. If you’re interested in learning more about BAA , and its initiatives, or getting involved, please drop us a line, or like the Bowen Agricultural Alliance or Bowen Island Farmers Market Facebook pages!
The BAA Farmers’ Market is made possible thanks to the support of the community, and look forward to seeing you at the markets starting May 14, 10 am to noon. Don’t forget to bring cash, a mask, a reusable shopping bag or basket, patience in the parking lot… and thank you for supporting local!
