Five bustling farmers markets in one small city
Story and photography by John and Sandra Nowlan
Magic tricks are rarely part of a small city weekend market experience, but New Brunswick’s capital city of Fredericton boasts five bustling indoor and outdoor markets that include almost every option possible in a multicultural and casual shopping experience—including magic.
In the historic Northside Market, open year-round on Saturdays and Sundays and located just across the river from Government House, not one but two local magicians have booths set up among the fresh produce, meats, baked goods, antique items, local handcrafts and plenty of great ethnic and regional food choices. This includes Rocketburgers, samosas and dim sum.
“Grampa George” sells his own brand of homemade pickles and preserves—and “Magic Rik” asks passersby to “pick a card” or “hold this coin” as his sleight of hand amazes and delights kids and adults alike.
Having five farmers’ markets in a city with just 60,000 residents makes the New Brunswick capital unique, so we were keen to visit all of them on a short Thursday to Sunday visit. After checking into our hotel we walked just a block to the Garrison Grounds to witness the colourful Changing of the Guard Ceremony. A dozen young people in bright scarlet uniforms, accompanied by a bagpiper and drummer, re-enacted a marching and gun salute ceremony started in 1853 when the Infantry School Corps was established. The ceremony is repeated several times daily.
But this was Thursday and we didn’t want to miss the adjacent Garrison Night Market (4:30 to 9pm). Started just over a year ago after Fredericton’s Tourism Director saw similar night markets in Asia and thought the concept would work well in the capital city, it has now surpassed expectations. Every Thursday in the spring and summer more than 130 food trucks and vendor booths—spread out along Carlton Street and next to the library—sell all manner of traditional and exotic merchandise including fresh fruits and vegetables, microbrews, handcrafts from around the province and a wide variety of international culinary offerings reflecting the new sophistication and ethnic background of many residents.
Two unusual booths featured Tiffany’s Tipsy Treats (jams, jellies, preserves and pastries made with run, gin, vodka, tequila and whisky) and dairy-free Scottage Cheeze, produced by local resident Margaret Scott and made from almond flour. There’s a climbing wall and members from the Changing of the Guard Ceremony walk through the outdoor market regularly. Buskers are frequently present and there are two entertainment stages, offering continuous live music.
Fredericton’s major and long-established market draw is the Boyce Farmers Market, dating from 1951. Located downtown just a couple of blocks from the riverfront, this huge indoor/outdoor marketplace has more than 200 vendors each week selling a wide variety of garden, kitchen and workshop products, all produced within 100 kilometres of Fredericton. Canadian Geographic Travel called it one of the Top 10 markets in Canada and it’s easy to see why. One of the largest outdoor booths is run by a Mennonite community from nearby Woodstock. Their fabulous looking organic produce, grown and harvested “without internal combustion engines” is sold by men in traditional straw hats and suspenders. Oddly, all purchases are put into plastic bags.
At the new ECO Market, a short drive across the river on Canada Street, everything that vendor Kaity Harquail sells must be “sustainable, ethical and local.” All produce comes from close by and is totally organic. In fact, some of the garden plots are within a few metres of the market stand. Bags to hold purchases of food or handcrafts are cleverly made from used newspapers. The small market is planning to expand as more consumers demand these kinds of products in their lives.
Back downtown, the final weekend market we visited was the unique Cultural Market on Saunders Street in the old YMCA Building. Here, one gets to see (and taste) the amazing cultural and ethnic diversity that makes Fredericton such a special city. Food booths dominate with flavour treats from Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Iran, and India.
While we loved the Fredericton markets, we also enjoyed many of the extraordinary amenities of this magical city. We stayed for a night in the spacious Bliss Carman Suite at the delightful, newly opened By the River B&B, a 1903 historic home on the Saint John River. It was recently converted into an eight-room bed and breakfast by a Chinese couple. Their young daughter, a talented musician, often plays the zither for guests in the living room. We also had a brief visit with Deborah Quartermain, the genial host at the three bedroom Quartermain House B&B. A few years ago it was listed as the number one bed and breakfast in North America by Booking.com.
Great markets usually mean great restaurants and Fredericton has developed a fine culinary scene. We enjoyed outstanding meals at the new Provincial Gastro Lounge and the long established Palate casual restaurant on Queen Street. Our most imaginative meal was at the 11th Mile on York Street, opened just over a year ago by a New Brunswick couple who made their mark on the Toronto culinary scene and returned home. The creativity of the food was obviously labour intensive, and it was delicious.
Our goal was to visit all the weekend Fredericton markets but there’s so much to see and do in Fredericton that a few days doesn’t do it justice. It’s a great walking city, especially the old railway bridge across the Saint John River that’s now restricted to foot and bicycle traffic. We had a reward on the far side of the bridge at Picaroons craft brewery, the city’s oldest, built in the former railway’s roundhouse, and one of many craft beer breweries in the area.
Near the entrance to the walking bridge visitors can’t miss the renowned Beaverbrook Art Gallery. As the curator told us, “A magnificent gallery like this in such a small city is unique.” Along with Salvador Dali’s large masterpiece, Santiago El Grande, the gallery, with its new expansion, features the finest British and Canadian works of art. There’s even Canada’s oldest birch bark canoe. Some imaginative official added stuffed wildlife below several paintings.
It’s not at the Beaverbrook, but quirky stuffed wildlife can also be found at the Fredericton Regional Museum at the Garrison Grounds. On display is a preserved frog, discovered near Fredericton in 1885, that became a pet and grew to a massive 42 pounds before “croaking” (sorry).
The markets in Fredericton are amazing but city council took the concept a step further by planting 33 varieties of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in various spots around the city in parks, planter pots and on boulevards. Visitors and locals are encouraged to help themselves to produce.
Header caption: ECO Market co-ordinator Kaity Harquail. ECO stands for Environmentally Conscious Options.
Intro caption: Vendor Mennonite producers with their crops.
