There are more than 18 farmers’ markets in the Ottawa area and while they’re great for local produce, there are so many other homegrown finds to delight. From furniture and art to accessories and more, here are some of the fun finds we discovered this summer at four area farmers’ markets.
Farmers’ markets visited
ByWard Public Market
55 ByWard Market Square
Open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all year, outdoor market open until Oct. 31
ottawamarkets.ca
Carp Farmers’ Market
3790 Carp Rd. (fairgrounds)
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., until the end of October
carpfarmersmarket.ca
North Gower Farmers’ Market
2397 Roger Stevens Dr.
Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., until Oct. 7
northgowerfarmersmarket.wordpress.com
Almonte Farmers’ Market
Ottawa Valley Rail Trail between Bridge Street and John Street
Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., until Oct. 14
almontefarmersmarket.com
Kid-friendly
If you’re trying to encourage the kids to save money, you won’t find a more fun way. Called Smash Pots, these biodegradable bamboo jars ($9.99 for the small, $12.99 for the large) are small enough to save up quickly and eco-friendly so you won’t feel guilty when it comes time to break them apart and spend your loot. If that doesn’t tempt you, try a non-smashable but still biodegradable personalized bamboo beaker instead ($7.99). Find them at Tickled Pink at ByWard Market or tickledpinkottawa.com.
Exterior wall art
Barn Quilts are pieces of wood painted in mostly geometric shapes to look like a quilt block and hung on a barn, house or other building. Although Roger Huestis says he’s not an artist, he has taken to barn quilting and typically creates them between two feet and four feet square (0.6 and 1.2 metres). This colourful cardinal ($200 for a 24×24-inch, or 60×60-centimetre) is among his most popular. Find him at the North Gower Farmers’ Market on select Saturdays or at sportinglylg@gmail.com / 873-354-0900.
Heart’s desire
Add a dash of the artisanal with this live edge console table / desk by Prior’s Edge Creations. Cabinet maker Kent Deschamps has worked in cabinetry for more than 20 years and loves creating live edge tables and more. Although he typically works with domestic hardwoods, this table is made from the much-less-common and colourful Purpleheart (or amaranth) wood that hails from Central and South America. It’s four feet, six inches long, 19 inches wide and 30 inches high (1.37 metres by 48 cm and 76 cm) with steel legs. Find it for $1,500 at the Carp Farmers’ Market or priorsedge.ca.
Ready to serve
Serve your guests in style with these charming handmade pottery pieces by Wilma Wattie of Clay & Linen, who specializes in wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces. The mug ($25) has a glossy glaze while the bowl ($55, 8½ inches in diameter and four inches high or 21 by 10 cm) has a matte glaze. Find them at the Almonte Farmers’ Market, at clayandlinen@gmail.com or on Facebook or Instagram (@clayandlinenstudio).
Caught in the act
How’s this for a touching keepsake to remember your child’s achievement? Woodworker Lou Turcotte makes this baseball glove frame from cherry and maple and adds the stitching detail with pyrography (or woodburning) and brown electrical wire for the lacing. The frame is 10×9 inches (25×22 cm) and two inches thick. Find it for $65 at the North Gower Farmers’ Market or loutur4@yahoo.ca / 613-489-2953.
Rustic reflections
Veronica Chenier loves creating rustic wood furniture, accents, accessories and more and has been selling them at the Carp market for about 25 years. This charming wall mirror ($48) is 14 inches square (35 cm) and is made with alder, pussy willow and pine. Aside from the market, she can be reached at willowmemories@sympatico.ca or 613-839-3174.
Garden art
A charming butterfly is just one of several garden art options at Canada in a Basket. Made of metal and standing 44 inches high (1.1 metre), this winged beauty adds a whimsical touch among flower beds. Find it for $55.75 at ByWard Market Square.
Vintage vibes
If you’re a fan of eclectic and vintage, Garden Cats Retro is for you. Crafter Heather Forsyth is a huge fan of upcycling and repurposing unexpected finds into quirky and funky decor, like this lamp-like whimsical painted china and glass mushroom made from a vase and a bowl ($15) or this fun and colourful battery-operated clock made from a six-inch children’s record ($15). Find them at the North Gower Farmers’ Market or via email at gardencats@outlook.com.
Nature in monochrome
Almonte artist Dennis Vance created this peaceful scene, called Ten O’clock, by monotype, etching on a copper plate and making a single copy on paper that’s stained so as not to be white. Monotyping “gives more of a depth of impression,” he says. This 9×6-inch piece in a 15¾x13 frame (22×15 cm and 40×33 cm) is $350. Find Vance at the Almonte Farmers’ Market or dennisnvance@gmail.com / 613-728-9031.
A touch of fall
Add a fall theme to your dining table with these fall leaves table runner and placemats. They’re made by The Doll Lady — Laurie Craig — who has been at the Carp Farmers’ Market for 30 years and offers dozens of table sets, as well as tea cosies, pet mats and more. The table runner ($18) is 40 by 13.5 inches (one metre by 34 cm) and the placemats, which are reversible (28 for a set of four), are 18 by 13.5 inches (45 by 34 cm). Craig can also be reached at 613-591-7611 or dollycraig@gmail.com.
Serve it up
What do you do when you’re a cabinetmaker with lots of bits of wood left over? If you’re Robert Magee of Pine Ridge Cabinets, you have some fun and make these stylish boards that are great for pizza or charcuterie. Made from maple, birch, cherry, walnut and sometimes mahogany, “whatever I have around the shop,” he says, they have a food-grade mineral coating and can come with a hole in the handle for easier hanging. The one pictured has a diameter of 14 inches (35 cm) and stretches to 20 inches (50 cm) with the handle. It sells for $60. Find Pine Ridge at the North Gower Farmers’ Market or pineridgecabinets.com.
Shades of blue
Adaawewigamig is a storefront supporting Indigenous youth, artists and community, like Kyle Simon of Wolf and Crow. This untitled 8×10-inch painting (20×25 cm) is part of a series of smaller paintings by the artist and sells for $225. Find it at ByWard Market Square or adaawewigamig@a7g.ca.
For other area farmers’ markets, visit farmersmarketsontario.com.
