Fresh tomatoes, jars of jellies and all sorts of other handcrafted goods will be ripe for the picking when the Jasper Farmers Market returns for its sixth year, June 29.
The market鈥檚 manager, Rebecca Rothgeb said she is expecting 10 to 14 regular vendors this year, selling everything from British Columbia鈥檚 finest fruits and veggies to local meat and eggs.
鈥淭here are so many benefits to buying local,鈥� Rothgeb said. 鈥淭he produce is so much fresher than what you can get at the grocery store and you鈥檙e supporting the local economy all while creating a sense of community by bringing everyone together.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to opening day. I think a lot of people are excited to have this kind of access to organic produce again.鈥�
For those just looking to try their hand at this year鈥檚 market, Rothgeb said drop-in vendors are welcome, but must pay a $20 table fee.
鈥淧eople can drop in once or a few times鈥攊t鈥檚 up to them,鈥� Rothgeb said. 鈥淎s long as you make, bake or grow it then you鈥檙e welcome at our market.鈥�
The market will run every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., located at the McCready Centre parking lot, at 701 Turret Street. Although this is the third year at the same venue, Rothgeb said this is the first year that the market has felt secure in its location.
In previous years, the Jasper Local Food Society鈥攖he organizer of the market鈥� and the municipality had come to an agreement that the market would be treated as a pilot project, which allowed the society 10 event permits for the weekly affair. However, earlier this year municipal council unanimously passed a new bylaw regulating commercial use of public land for sidewalk seating and the farmers market, essentially giving it a permanent place to operate.
Rothgeb said it鈥檚 nice to finally have a permanent location.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very positive thing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he market has been around long enough that people have come to expect it each year so now it鈥檚 good to know that we have a long term spot that we can go.鈥�
With this newfound sense of permanence, Rothgeb is hoping to see the market expand in the future.
鈥淚t would be good to see other vendors, but also good if we could expand our hours,鈥� Rothgeb said. 鈥淲ith our current hours it makes it hard for people who can鈥檛 leave work to come by.鈥�
For more information about the Jasper Farmers Market, which will wrap up on August 31, or to sign up as a vendor contact Rebecca Rothgeb through the Jasper Local Food Society Facebook page.
