Our Saturday Tradition
As soon as my head hits the pillow on Friday night, visions of the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market fill my head. Thoughts of my friends and I being pulled to different vendors by the delicious aromas wafting through the air or sinking my teeth into a delectable donair loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions makes me wake up with a grumbling stomach.
Saturday mornings for my friends and I wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the market. My friends Lucas Joel and Cierra Meredith, my boyfriend Evan Rees, and I started our Saturday tradition at the beginning of second semester. It is something we look forward to every week.
Located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, the market is home to over 200 local vendors. From farmers, food producers, growers, artists, and craftspeople, there is always something new to look at or try. Cierra and I love looking at the handmade crafts and artwork.
Our trip usually starts at the ATM, so we are properly equipped for our voyage through the aisles. Then we walk through the buildings to look at the different vendors. We like to see if there are any new vendors that weren’t there the previous week. Occasionally, we pick up meat to use for special meals during the week, or we get homemade pizza dough at From Scratch Bakery to freeze and use later. Evan and I have developed a love for the sourdough bread from Black Forest Bakery.
We then venture outside to the “ready to eat” vendors to decide what food we are going to enjoy that day.
Regardless of any extra things we pick up, we all have one item we cannot leave without. Cierra and Lucas make sure to pick up Samosas from Yummy Samosa, specifically the feta ones. If you ask Cierra, they are the best Samosas she’s ever had.
Evan and I on the other hand, always head to Richie’s BBQ to get donairs. If you find yourself at the Richie’s BBQ stand, try the half chicken and half beef donair, and thank me later. To satisfy our sweet tooth, we sometimes also pick up churros.
On occasion, we pick a new food vendor to try. Last weekend, Cierra decided to try out a noodle dish from Warung Indonesia. Evan tried a gyro from Taste of Greek, a vendor that we saw the week prior and wanted to try. Lucas, however, stuck with his tried-and-true Samosas. Needless to say, we always leave with full bellies and smiles on our faces.
We usually pack everything up to go and enjoy a feast at home, but last weekend we decided to enjoy our food at the market. Hopefully, once the weather warms up a bit more, picnic tables or benches will be added outside so we can sit and enjoy.
I am excited to see which new vendors pop up at the market over the next few weeks. It is certainly refreshing to see people out and about enjoying what the market has to offer.
Our Saturday tradition is special to us because it is a way for us to hang out, support local businesses, eat some good food, and admire the craftsmanship of people in and around our community.
