Farmer's Markets, Saltspring Island has the most famous one. Tourists pay a steep ferry fare to visit downtown Ganges, where they may browse amongst everything organic, ceramic, botanic, and esoteric.
BUT, it is not the only farmer's market, Duncan stages one every Saturday and it is pretty impressive!
A little square beside Duncan's town hall is closed to traffic, as well as part of a town road. The town's gazebo hosts a few musician, and dozens of tents serve as make shift stores, which offer a weird and wonderful range of 'must have goodies'
Party Collars - for your pets. Some with bows, some with lace, some quite 'formal', some a little whimsical - just a thing a fickle owner needs to accommodate the day's dress code. Only 20 Dollars for Duncan Haute Couture for the little four legged friends.
Just a little part of the market...
Muskoka Lawn Chair in a rather odd location...
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| Patriotic Dog Collar as modelled by a canine mannequin |
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| Who would not like to brush his teeth above a bathroom sink, hand painted with blossoming flowers? |
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| It's not Burka, or a veil or a scarf - NO, this is the latest edition of 'hair extensions' of the beady kind. |
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| One better than a Tilley Hat....feathers and silk roses |
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| And for the aspiring Air Canada Pilot - training wheels |
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| It's BC after all - artistic pet feeders of hand carved wood, hand thrown pottery and hand painted decor - I did not ask the price... |
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| Alternative Art - eco friendly use of fire wood |
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| No you don't need glasses - this is a rural scene created from felt |
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| And for the ecofriendly house wife (oops home maker) a few pot scrubbers made from natural materials. Who would want to deface one of these cute thingamajigs to clean a pot??? |
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| There was a line up of food stands, with regular hot dogs and hamburgers missing from the menu. BUT - farm smoked meats, home made sausages, spelt bread, Middle Eastern flat breads, home made cheeses, jams satisfied any hungry shoppers |
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| And the kids played music - pretty good at that!!! |
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| Canadian - Eh? |
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| Flowers, vegetables, herbs....bedding plants for gardeners, who DON'T harbour herds of deer. |
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| Hand carved wooden flutes... |
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| There you go, it's not the HIGH COUNTRY but the HIGHLAND CATTLE, just in case one gets mixed up. |
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| Doggie Toys in every shape... |
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| Doggies in every shape as well |
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Duncan used to be known as a pretty dismal community, where never anything exciting or fun would see the light of day. Well, it is now a bit of a hidden gem, as downtown is being renovated, historic buildings brought back to life and the town scape evolves into quite an eclectic little centre of great shops (very good clothing stores, some mouthwatering bakeries, a few neat cafes, some highly regarded bistros and restaurants, a few voluminous book stores, a brew pub, and a host of specialty stores to boot)
And no high rise yet, one can even find a few 'historic' dwellings, which haven't been touched since they had their first brick or beam placed into the ground.
Next time, when you drive through Duncan along strip mall alley, make a detour and cross to 'the other side of the tracks' past the historic little railway station and abide a while...it's worth the time!
Let's say Good Bye to the Farmer's Market with Hillary's Cheese - one of the best cheese makers in Cowichan Valley, and all from happy Holstein Cows, who graze serenely in this farmer's back fields.
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