A rare sunny day brought crowds to the opening day of the Port Coquitlam Farmers Market at its new location Thursday (June 2).
Mayor Brad West joined the festivities to welcome vendors and shoppers at the new market location at the Terry Fox Hometown Square on Kelly Avenue, behind the Port Coquitlam Community Centre.
There was a celebratory air to the opening day of the market, where more than two dozen vendors from across the Lower Mainland showed up to sell their crafts, food or beverage products.
"Normally we'd have more vegetables," noted KC Ho, a farmer from Richmond, who brought his peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables to the market.
Cold spring has delayed the vegetable crop
Ho said poor weather has delayed many of the vegetable crops, although he is able to use a greenhouse to start his seeds and bring peppers and cucumbers to fruition.
At a nearby stall, Sam Wang said he had no problems with the cool spring weather because his nutritious micro-greens are grown in a greenhouse.
His lettuce, meanwhile, is "hardy" and he said he was able to overwinter the healthy salad crop.
While musician Caden Knudsen played guitar and sang, shoppers milled around the stalls, purchased rolled ice cream from a food truck or sipped cider and other locally brewed beverages.
There was also jewelry for sale, handcrafted household items and skin care products, with many of the vendors from out of town hoping to find new customers in Port Coquitlam.
The next Port Coquitlam Farmer's Market is June 9
"Our kitchen is in Vancouver but we come out to Port Coquitlam because we love it here," said a vendor representing Early Bird Pudding, whose tiny glass custard pots gave a glamorous look to her Japanese-style pudding.
The vendors this week included:
- Gary's Kettlec Corn
- Larkspur Nursery
- Matthew's Magical Marvels (decorated Harry Pottery-style wands)
- Nature Village Arm
- Bruinwood Estate Distillery
- Zoomer's Fungia
- Turner's Chocolate
- Triple W Acres
- Fresh Bark dog treats
- Toon's Hot Sauce
- Vancouver Smoked Foods
- Fersk Self Care
- Lake Bottom Cider
- Dragon Mist Distllery
- Humble Bee Meadery
- Natasha's Pies
- Tinhouse Brewing
- Western Sky Books
- Early Bird Pudding (Japanese-style custard pudding)
- Darn Right Foods (Bakery, gluten free)
- Coffee Heroine
- Golden Ears Cheese Crafters
- Rolled West Coast ice cream (food truck)
- A Bread Affair
- Off The Rail Brewing
- River Fool Rustics (handmade planters)
Each Thursday, the PoCo market will operate from 3 to 7 p.m. to Sept. 29, 2022.
Parking is available in the community's centre's vast 425-stall underground garage off of Mary Hill Road.
