Granville Island Public Market, Dannielle Hayes photo
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is home to one of Canada's most productive agricultural zones and talented artisans — and the region's local markets reap the fresh bounty. Most markets are seasonal and open on weekends. Here are five to whet your appetite for more :
Located in the heart of the city, under the Granville Bridge, this popular indoor market is open year-round and augmented seasonally with the arrival of local farmers and their produce.
A visit to Granville Island can easily become an all-day affair as the market is surrounded by restaurants, theatres, artisan galleries, a kids market and buskers.
The market embaces all that is local, including freshly caught seafood, made-on-the-premises pasta, Fraser Valley-grown seasonal fruits and vegetables, handcrafted cheeses, raised-in-BC meat and poultry and fresh baked breads.
Many food stalls offer freshly cooked foods that echo Vancouver's multicultural diversity. Choose from ethnic cuisines such as Chinese, Greek, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Mexican and Polish.
Learn more about Granville Island in Vancouver BC by clicking on Field Reporter Simon's video below.
This seasonal Sunday market winds through Whistler's Upper Village from mid June to mid October.
All vendors must make, bake or grow their wares.
Foods include artisan breads, jams and preserves, fresh-from-the-field fruits and vegetables, pickled specialties, honey, spiced and sugared nuts, coffees and teas. The market is an ideal family outing, with entertainers and buskers, face painting for kids and a supervised crafts area.
This rural market features dozens of local vendors. It operates from the end of May until mid October.
With Abbotsford situated right in the heart of the agricultural Fraser Valley, customers can sample and purchase some of the freshest food possible. Products change with the seasons, moving from spring pickings of rhubarb and strawberries, to summer bounties of artichokes, blueberries, miniature melons and tomatoes, to autumn harvests of root vegetables, pumpkins, apples and fresh cranberries—just in time for Thanksgiving. Take the SeaBus over to
North Vancouver to experience a Saturday market (early May to late October) that is as picturesque as it is tempting.
You'll find fresh produce, plants and healing herbs side-by-side with the offerings of food artisans, all appealingly located under large, shady trees. Bring a camera to snap the postcard-perfect views of Vancouver and the cruise ships heading into the city's harbour. The market is conveniently located beside the SeaBus terminal. Once there, explore the rest of Lonsdale Quay, home to an array of food vendors, boutiques and restaurants. The University of British Columbia operates a farm on its main campus in Vancouver with produce sales through the onsite Farm Harvest Hut.
The farm's gardeners (agricultural sciences students) grow a wide variety of crops — from carrots, lettuce, beans and bok choy to pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes and squashes. They also manage a free-range poultry flock. Produce is free of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. The market is open Saturdays from late spring through October. The Steveston Farmers and Artisans Market, with over 50 vendors, is held every Sunday from May until September, 11am - 4pm, next to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
Artisans sell a range of jewelry, homemade fudge, art and photography. Fresh produce, flowers and plants, and health food are also available. Local restaurant owners give food prep demos and a stage area showcases live music performances. Once finished at the market, stroll around Steveston Village to check out, with jazz bands and dance groups performing on the docks. Back to the Top